A Life Worth Fighting (16 page)

I stand back with Brooke’s husband, Brice, and Robert and watch the interview. Robert nudges me and I look in the direction he’s looking in. Cars are pulling into the parking lot, and a line is already forming outside the locked doors.  

I say, “Brice, I think your wife’s a rock star.”  

He looks outside and a proud smile forms on his lips. “It would appear so.” 

I look over at him and ask, “Have you read her books?” 

“I haven’t. But I can tell you everything that’s in there, including the characters’ names.”
He says they’re very fortunate to be able to pay off some bills with Brookes’ royalties.  

I nod and look back outside at the quickly growing crowd. “How many books did she bring?” 

“Not enough,” he says, looking outside.  

After the interview, Dove stays a little longer and takes some shots of the fans and of Brooke signing books. Bethany and I refill the food and drinks as needed and Robert entertains Brice. Because they are the only two guys in the building, I’m not surprised they are hiding out in the kitchen. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Jo stocked the refrigerator with subs for them. The signing goes well and,
some of the fans already own the books they want to be signed. Angel, Sara, and Brea come towards the end of the signing; I know it’s so they can stay and mingle.  

Robert comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me. I lean into him and sigh. “Looks like a huge success,” Robert whispers into my ear.  

“It is. Brooke is on her way to being a
New York Times
bestseller.” 

“Do you think so?” 

“I do. Look at her.” She is standing up and getting pictures taken with some fans. Emma is sitting at the table with her, acting as her personal assistant.  

“Are you tired?” he asks, concerned. 

“I am. I feel like I’m becoming anemic like I did when I was pregnant with Jamie.” 

“We can call the doctor on Monday about your fatigue.” 

I nod and we just watch the last few stragglers.  

“Did you see Molly?” I finally ask. 

“I did. She looks good and I think married life is agreeing with her.” 

“I think so, too.” 

“She said she hopes that she sees us at church on Sunday.” 

“It’s been a few weeks since we were there.” 

Dove snaps some pictures and tells us she thinks she has everything she needs and leaves. I watch as she interviews a few patrons sitting outside. I smile.
Brooke really is on her way
. Once everything is cleaned up and put away, Robert and I lock up and go home. I fall asleep in the car on the way.  

I wake up feeling refreshed. I make smoothies and vegetables with egg-white omelets for breakfast. Robert is downstairs so I am assuming he didn’t sleep well. I think Robert still has nightmares about the accident, but he won’t tell me. Even when I ask, I think he isn’t completely honest with me. When I open the door, I hear the shower on. I text Bethany while I’m waiting for Robert.  

Leah:
What are your plans today?
 

Bethany:
No plans. Kyle’s golfing, but he’ll be home by noon.
 

Leah
: Do you guys want to come over for a cookout and maybe a swim?
 

Bethany:
Are you up to it? You looked pretty tired yesterday.
 

Leah:
I feel fine. About 4:00?
 

Bethany
: Sounds great, we’ll see you then.
 

Leah:
Great, we’ll see you soon.
  

Robert

Time passes quickly and we are getting ready to leave for Las Vegas for the Kennedy fight. Leah insisted on coming. When I say insisted, I mean demanded or even forced her way into this trip. I tried everything to get her to stay home and nothing worked. My last hope was the doctor saying it wasn’t safe for her to travel during her pregnancy, and even that failed. So… what was going to be a training/learning/observation two-day trip is now a four-day family vacation. Gus, his wife, Dove, our parents, and Bethany and Kyle are also coming as a late honeymoon.
As you can see, I really put my foot down.
 

“What time’s the fight tomorrow?” Leah asks as she puts more clothing into her suitcase.  

“It starts at 8:00 p.m.” I search for the nicest way to say this. “Leah, I really don’t want you going to the fight,” I say as nicely as I can. 

“And I really don’t want you boxing,” she says just as nicely. She stands there with her hands on her hips, daring me to say anything. I don’t. She stands there wearing a pink maternity shirt and a white pair of capris and yet she intimidates the hell out of me.
My wife is a mighty one that I can’t say no to. Jamie used to say that I was the boss in the gym and Mommy was the boss at home.
 

When the last article of clothing is in her suitcase, I know she is ready. It was the last thing she needed to do. When we get to the foyer, Gus and Dove are just pulling into the driveway.  

“Just in time,” Leah says as she opens the door and walks out onto the porch. 

We meet everyone at the airport and the girls are all happy and giddy. Kyle and Bethany are sitting together in their own little world. The guys are going to Vegas strictly for the fight, but the girls have made up an itinerary for all of us, including sightseeing, shows, and gambling. Leah holds my hand as she looks from her window seat to the incredible view from the airplane. We pass over the Grand Canyon and she nudges me to look. She has never been to Vegas before. I can see the excitement on her face. “Ace, do you think if we have time, we can go there?”  

The Grand Canyon is in Arizona; Las Vegas is in Nevada. The Grand Canyon is fairly close by, it’s in another state but only 4.5 hours away. People who visit Las Vegas often rent a car and drive to see the Grand Canyon. When flying, they often fly over it, just like we did.
 
 

“Anything for you, Sweets,” I say and I mean it. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.  

We check into our hotel and thankfully we all got on the same floor.
This should make it easier to find the others.
We agree to meet in the casino in an hour. Bethany and Kyle pass on tonight’s events. They could have stayed home for what they have planned.
Lucky bastard.
“Do you want to stay in tonight?” I ask Leah hopefully. 

“No, are you kidding? Did you hear all those bells and whistles coming from the casino and those lights flashing? I may get out here only once, and I plan to take advantage of it.” 

Leah checks out the room and I begin to unpack. Once everything is put away, I ask, “Are you ready? We have some time before you have to meet the others.” 

“Now?” she asks.  

“I’m ready whenever you are. There’s a lot to see and do here and I thought I would introduce you to some slot machines.” 

“In that case, I’m ready.” 

We play some slots, meet up with the others, and have dinner. We walk the strip and stop outside of the Bellagio hotel and watch the water show. The water fountains are in rhythm with the song “I’m Proud to be an American.” Leah cries and I hold her close. It is a very sentimental show. Even without her pregnancy hormones, I think Leah would have still cried. This is the same hotel sponsoring the fight, but I don’t tell her that.  

Leah and I hold hands as we walk the very busy strip. It’s getting dark and the whole city comes to life. “This place is so beautiful,” Leah says, excitedly.  

Las Vegas really is beautiful. Even Zen masters have wanted to go there — not to gamble but to see the beautiful lights at night. Before coming to Vegas, Leah and I did some research, and we found that that many funny stories have been told about Vegas, including these: 

• Famous entertainer Pearl Bailey had a brother named Bill Bailey, who was also an entertainer. He once had a job in Las Vegas, but the city was early in its history and so it was not nearly as famous then as it is now. While driving there, he came to a fork in the road. One sign pointed to Las Vegas, New Mexico; the other sign pointed to Las Vegas, Nevada. He ended up in the wrong Las Vegas. 

• Fred Smith started the company FedEx, but early in its history, it ran into financial difficulties. Mr. Smith needed money because FedEx had only $5,000 in cash and a $24,000 jet fuel bill was due. Mr. Smith took the $5,000 to Las Vegas, gambled, and won $27,000. FedEx prospered, and now Mr. Smith is a billionaire. 

• Las Vegas is known as Sin City, but many people get married there. Sometimes the people witnessing the wedding and even participating in it are simply people who happen to be nearby. It is possible at a wedding to have a wino as a witness and a prostitute as a flower girl. Nevertheless, the marriage ceremony may very well include these words: “Those whom God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” 

• Film director Robert Altman and a friend named Reza Badiyi, who was born in Iran, once went on a road trip. When they arrived in Las Vegas, they were penniless. They pretended that Mr. Badiyi was a famous Middle Eastern prince who spent lots of money gambling, and a hotel gave them free room and board — then the real Middle Eastern prince showed up at the hotel. Fortunately, the real Middle Eastern prince was amused by what the two had done, and he treated them to a Las Vegas vacation. 

We get back to the hotel and I watch as Leah plays the slots. She gets so excited when the lights on her machine light up. I watch and it makes me happy to see her happy. I still wish she wouldn’t go to the fight tomorrow, but I’m glad she’s here with me now. She cashes in her winning tickets and she squeals and her hands shake as they count the money and place it in her hands.  

She says, “I’m done. Do you want to play?” 

“You’re done playing?” 

“For tonight. I don’t want to give them back their money, just yet. Do you want to play?” 

“I don’t play the slots.” 

“Oh, what do you play?” 

“Blackjack.” 

“Well, let’s play some blackjack, then.” 

I take Leah’s hand and lead her to the blackjack tables. Gus and Dove are sitting at one of the tables. I nod when he looks up.  

“Come on, let’s sit down,” Leah says.  

“It’s not that easy,” I say, without looking at her. “You have to scan the tables and pick the right one.” She doesn’t say anything, but I can feel her watching me. “This one.” I lead her to a table on the right side of the room. I explain the rules of the game quickly before we reach the table. We both sit down at the only two seats left at the table. I place small bets at first and wait patiently for our cards. I stay and Leah wants another card. My focus is on the card sharks sitting at the table with us. We both lose and I place another small bet for Leah and for me.  

“I’m sorry,” she whispers.  

I wink at her and say, “It’s all right.” 

We get our cards and this time, Leah stays and I get another card, then another one. The guy on the right is tapping his right index finger. A clear sign he’s nervous.
He doesn’t have a high hand.
And the guy on the left is smiling.
He’s bluffing.
The other two players sit expressionlessly and I haven’t had time to figure them out. Leah wins with a 20 in her hand. She screams and I laugh at her.
Beginner’s luck.
 

“I’m ready,” she whispers. I pick up the unused chips and we leave.  

We pass Bethany and Kyle near the entrance to the casino. “Leaving so soon?” Kyle asks. 

“We’ve been here awhile. Every time Leah wins, she’s ready to go,” I say. 

“I’m keeping my money,” she says seriously.  

“Will we see you guys for breakfast?” I ask.
This hotel has an excellent buffet.
 

“Sound like a plan. See you guys in the morning.” Bethany leans up and gives Leah a hug before taking Kyle’s hand and walking off towards the casino.  

The next night, we are standing outside of the Bellagio Hotel, where the fight is scheduled. Gus explains that when he went to buy additional tickets no ringside tickets were left. He apologizes to everyone and he seems sincere. I look over at Leah, but she isn’t buying it. She stands there wearing a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt that says “Grether Rocks” in bold black letters written across the back. I laugh as I try to look serious.  

“Grether, is this funny to you?” she demands. 

“No, not at all.” 

“You guys get ringside seats and we girls get to sit where?” 

“Really, Gus?” Dove says, looking very upset with her hands on her hips. She is about the same height as Leah with long blond curly hair. “If you think we’re going to be seated in the back of the damn room, you have another think coming.” 

My dad, Tim, and Kyle just stand there. They don’t want to get involved in it.
Smart men.
 

“Dove, I had to call everyone I know to get these seats. The ones they offered me didn’t have you girls sitting together at all. It wasn’t until I threw in Bobby’s name that they gave me these seats. Dove, they’re not in the back of the room. Look at the seating chart — these are actually excellent seats,” he says, showing them the seating chart.
Dude, you shouldn’t have said that.