Fight (6 page)

Chapter 11

Trade Off

Nathan

I jumped out of my car. My head was spinning like a tornado. Mason and Eva's mother in a single afternoon was too much for me to take. I could have deflected Mrs. Clark's attacks easily while staying calm, but when Mason came into the picture, I lost my control. I forgot the diplomacy I planned out. I wanted to act decent. I knew she was not in favor of me and Eva being in a relationship, but still I had some hopes.

But everything went sideways. The moment I saw Mason with her, I knew something was happening between them.
Damn, why the fuck was Mason there? What was he doing there?
My head spun thinking about their meeting. I needed JD to think straight.

The door cracked open when I applied extra force on it. My feet automatically moved towards the refrigerator. JD was there. But when I reached the refrigerator, I couldn't find it. Eva must have put it somewhere else. I needed a kick to think straight, I was losing my patience. I had to fight with someone. That was the only thing that could have helped me to think. People need coffee or some stimuli to think straight. I just need  a fight. When I fight, I get a better solution. And that is the best time for me to solve my issues.
I need to fight with someone.
I grabbed my gym bag and headed towards the club.

***

"Hey, buddy, how are you?" My coach shouted from one ring, when he saw me.

"Fine, Coach."

"Wanna trade blows with this guy?" he said. He was coaching an amateur-looking boxer. I watched him moving around Coach. He wasn't the person I wanted to fight with. First, he lacked a boxer's body and then he lacked the moves.

"Nope, go ahead." I replied and looked at the other ring. To my surprise, Mason was fighting with someone. I walked to the ring. Holding the ropes in my hands, I looked at Mason. Frustrated, I said, "Mason."

He looked back at me for an instant and he lost his concentration. His opponent’s punch hit his face hard. He stumbled back on the ropes. With a quick jump, I grabbed him before he fell on the ropes. "Thanks, buddy." He balanced himself on his feet.

"Buddy..." I repeated his words. I remembered my college days, when we used to be buddies, best friends."Up for a match?"

"Now?" he asked, looking at me.

"Yes, I’ll change and get back." I jumped down.

***

We shook hands. Many people had gathered around. Everybody knew in the club that I didn't like Mason and we had never had a match between us. This was the first time I would be trading blows with him. The first time in five years.

"I’m surprised." Mason punched my face, but I moved to my left and hit his chest with a quick cross. My punch forced him back, but he managed to stay calm.

"Why, Mason? Why surprised?" I threw a straight kick at him, and he defended himself with his left hand.

"You asked for a match after five years." He charged forward and threw a fast hook at me.

"Come on, Mason. I was surprised to see you there. What game are you planning with Martha?" I saved myself with my right hand and pushed an upper cut through his hands and hit him on his chest.

"I need to talk to you about Eva's mother."

"Answer my question first." I jumped in the air and hit him with a semi-circular kick.

He rolled on the ground to get away from me. He jumped back to his feet and charged towards me. He threw a two-hand punch on my chest, but I jumped to my right and saved myself.

The bell rang, the first round was finished. I walked towards him and held his shoulder tightly. "What is this new game, Mason?"

"No lie, Nathan, only truth."

"Tell me Mason, I'm all ears."

The referee rang the bell. We took our stance and started the next round. I could see people gossiping about our match. Surely, we didn't play up to the mark. I decided to go bully. I punched hard, targeting Mason’s face. He saved himself with one hand. I took the opportunity and  fired an uppercut, targeted between his face and hand. But he anticipated it and saved it with other hand and pushed me back. "You are good, Mason. I hadn't seen you fighting in many years."

"But I watched you getting sloppy."

"What do you mean?" I asked with surprise.

He punched me instead of replying and I saved myself with one hand. He whipped an upper cut, the exact same move I had tried few a moments ago. I saved my face with my other hand and tried to force him back. He bluffed like he moved back, but instead of falling back he fell on ground with his hand pushed on the surface and dropped a circular kick parallel to ground. It hit me on my shin and I fell down in a second.

"I said that." He gave me a hand. I took his hand to stand up. Everybody around us was clapping. But I didn't feel ashamed, because I was going to train with that guy.

"Thanks, Mason. You haven't changed at all. But before I commit myself to your training, I want to know what you were doing there?"

"Long story short, your future mother-in-law is planning a strike against you."

"Oh, she isn't my mother-in-law."

"Don't kid me. You married a girl before getting out of college and you want me to believe you?"

"And you slept with her in less than ten months after I married her." I laughed and hugged him, tightly. I missed his friendship, and for the first time in five years, I felt the ground between us was settling. "Whatever is in the past is over. Why, she called you?"

"She offered me a project over the phone. I went because of her offer, and it was damn lucrative. She called me for a business lunch and I accepted the offer. But when I got there, she had a different offer."

"I didn't get you, man." We walked outside of the ring. People were waiting for us to get back in again and fight, but we had different plans.

"She asked me to get you out of Eva's life, by any means."

"What?" I couldn't believe it.

"And the surprising thing was that she had every ounce of information about you and me. She offered me a good project and personal recommendations to get the job done."

"You should have taken that offer, man." I smiled.

"Don't be a jerk. I know your sarcasm. I said sorry a thousand times, already." He replied in an honest voice.

"Okay, apology accepted. Tell me, what did you say to her?"

"I said no. How could I say yes? I have already done the damage once, I didn't want to do it again with you. Purgatory wouldn't be enough for me."

"Thanks, buddy. Eva’s mother is becoming a pain in the ass," I said. She was truly trying everything in her arsenal to get me out of Eva's life. But I decided I would do anything to save our relationship.

"We're starting the training tomorrow." He patted me on my back and walked to the changing room. I turned back to face the amateur opponent my coach had offered a while back. I needed a moral win.

Chapter 12

Eva

I waved good bye to Chloe and entered my university canteen. Over the past month, the canteen had become my favorite place to meet Nathan. That way I got to spend time with him, and once we finished I could go right to class. I looked at my watch; he was already late.
Why are these men always late?
I took my cell out to call him.

"Yes, babe," he replied in husky voice.

"Where are you?" I asked in an irritated voice. He was already late, and that meant less time to spend with him.

"At your table," I heard him near me, like a surround sound system. I looked around and he thumped onto the chair next to me. His gym bag hung over his shoulder like a pendulum. His sleeveless gym t shirt showed his rock-solid biceps, arousing me in the bright sunlight. His perfect shoulder muscles screamed beneath his t-shirt for my bite. Instead, I bit my lower lip.

"With your gym bag?" I wanted to grab him there and kiss him hard.

"Just finished my training session with Mason. That's why I’m little late."

I wanted to scold him for coming late, but he dropped this bomb on me. Yesterday, he had talked about killing Mason and today he was training with him. Just yesterday, they traded with knifes and swords at the lunch. I thought I had heard something wrong. "Did you mention Mason?"

"Yes, Mason." His face remained emotionless, like they had no history at all and he came here after meeting a good friend.

"I thought you would fight with him." My voice went low in curiosity.

"I did. We had a practice match yesterday, after five years," he replied calmly.

"Okay! One second," I gasped. "You were trading blows yesterday. I thought you would kill him for being there."

"Yes, I wanted to kill him. But he clarified things. And he is an extraordinary fighter, so I accepted the offer."

"Are you guys back together? Everything’s okay?" I asked with happiness.

"The last time I checked, I was dating you. And not him." He made a serious face.

I punched him hard. A sharp pain gripped my hand. "I mean, are you friends again."

"No, I wouldn't say we are friends again, but he is not my enemy anymore. I forgive him for doing Samantha."

"That's good." I thanked God for changing Nathan. "In the last few months, you have changed a lot, Nathan."

"Only because of you, Eva." He grabbed my hand and started brushing it with his thumb. "You changed my life inside and out and I'm very thankful to you."

"Oh, don't, Nathan." I blushed at his praise. "So training then, huh?" I tried to change the subject.

"Yes. Anyway, I don't have any work waiting for me and I hope to use this opportunity to train and devise a plan to beat Peter."

"Why Peter again?"

"Because he said he will destroy my career and I don't like bullies anywhere. I don't do well with them." He sighed deeply. "I have a history with bullies, and they don't go along with my principles."

"That's something new for me." I felt like I didn't know much about his life. I didn't know about Samantha and his early life. It wasn't like I cared about his past, but I was curious. And I was more curious about his divorce with Samantha. But I didn't know how to ask him that.

"Someday, I'll tell you the story of my life. When we have Mason with us."

"Sure, babe, I can’t wait for that day."
Samantha, Samantha,
I muttered to myself.

"Did you say something?"

"No, nothing."

"I thought I heard Samantha's name."

"Not at all, sweetheart. Now, as you have brought her subject up, I wanted to ask..." I cleared my throat. "You know, what happened with her, after I left your home."

He laughed loud. "I knew you said her name. Okay...." He looked around and came closer to me. "I threw her out."

"What?" I shouted and then felt ashamed. Everybody around me was looking at me. "What?" I whispered in a very low voice.

"I said I threw her out. She broke us and she deserved nothing less."

"But how can you throw a girl out."

"I pushed her out of the house, before she had a chance to whine about you and ruin my home. And then I threw her bag out of window." He chuckled.

"Did you..." I cleared my throat again. I couldn't ask him directly about the divorce.

"You want to ask about the divorce?"

"No…I mean, yes." At last I came to the question burning a hole in my heart.

"After I lost you, I filed it."

"I'm sorry, Nathan, for the pain I put you through." My heart filled with sorrow about him. He didn't deserve it. He loved me more than I did.

"Don't worry. I deserve that. I should have told you about her, but I never thought that she would come back and ruin my life again. I don't understand what happened, but because of her I lost my best friend."

"You can work on that, sweetheart, you can get him back. But how was it? How was she as a person?" I asked and bit my tongue.

His face turned dark. Painfully, he turned his face to other side. "She was a nice girl, at first. We enjoyed our share. But then she turned demanding. She never liked living with me in a small apartment. She always wanted more, car, jewelry, anything she thought of. I had tried my best, but on my starting salary right out of school, I couldn't afford it. I started doing extra shifts, more extra shifts." His face twisted into a frown. He sighed heavily. "I think that was the time, when our ties started breaking off. My issue with her was the truth. If she had told me about her needs, I would have given her the divorce. But, things came out in a much worse manner."

I stroked his face. "It's okay, sweetheart. You have me now." I hugged him tightly. I wanted to hold him longer, but my class time starting soon and I had to leave. "Sorry, sweetie, I have to go now. I'll catch you later." I waved him goodbye. He sat there, maybe thinking about her. I felt sad, not jealous. 

Chapter 13

Eva

With a heavy heart, I walked inside class. And concentrating on the class was out of question when you attend a class after listening to your boyfriend’s sad story. Soon, I realized that it was a bad choice after all and I decided to ditch the last class and meet Chloe. I wanted her happiness to radiate through my veins. Only she could have lifted my mood.

She was probably in the cafeteria or library. I searched for her in both places, but she wasn’t there. I called her, I messaged her, but she didn't reply. I had no choice but to go home. My forehead was all creased by thoughts of spending my evening with my mom. I couldn't remember  the last time we spoke like mother-daughter. I took a cab to the hotel.

I walked like a cat while passing her room. I didn't want her to see me. I was glad that she didn't notice me. Carefully, I opened the door of my room, trying not to make any noise.

"Sweetheart, you are back." My mother called me from behind.

Damn, she could be in the FBI.
"Hello, Mother." I faced her. "I thought you would be busy in a meeting or something."

"Yes, I was some time ago. But I am here on a mission."

"What's that?" She sounded like 'James Bond'.

"To re-connect with you. I don't remember when the last time we talked," she said with quietly.

"My head, it’s bursting, Mother. Mind if we talk later, over dinner?" I tried to avoid her. I felt ashamed inside, but I had no choice.

"Let me help you." She held my shoulder and literary dragged me inside the room. "Now, go and lay down on the bed. I’ll get some pain-killers for you." She ordered me in a very sweet voice. I was surprised; my heart sunk with the memory of my childhood. Before building the business empire, she used to take care of me like this. She used to do anything and everything for me and my older brother. Those were the most awesome days in my life. "Those days," I sighed. I was surprised to find out how much I missed my childhood.

"What? Did you say anything?" she asked from the door.

"Nothing, Mom. I’ll change and come back."

She vanished outside the room. The wooden door closed heavily behind her. My mind flooded with the sad memories of when she used to leave us alone at home every day. '
Sometimes
,
I really miss you mother.'

I changed into my favorite pajama and a t-shirt from my high school days. Surprisingly, the t-shirt still fit me well.

When I came out, my mother was already sitting on my bed with some pills in her hand. She looked at me, "You still have that t-shirt?"

"You remember this?" She was giving me an emotional shock now.

"How can I forget? You used to fight over that t-shirt. I bought you so many t-shirts, and still you wore that old, dirty one." She giggled.

"I still wear it sometimes." I smiled. I didn't know what happened that day, but I felt like I was connecting back with her. All those years vanished in a split second, and I was with my old mother, who used to take care of me.

"Okay. Come on take these pills and lay down here. I will brush your hair."

I raised my eyebrow."Hmm." I didn't expect that from her. She was making me emotional, and surprisingly it was working on me. I laid down in front of her and closed my eyes. Her warm hand touched my forehead. I felt like; I was a small, ten-year-old girl and she was brushing my hair, like the old times. "Thanks, Mom." Her hands moved slowly over my head, releasing every tension from my brow. I was my mom's little girl again. It was the peace I hadn't felt in so many years. I was slowly flying into my dream world, but my dream was snapped away by a warm tear. I opened my eyes to find that she was crying silently. "Hey, Mom! What happened? Why are you crying?" I tried to lift myself up.

"Please, don't get up. I am not crying. I just remembered your childhood."

"That's exactly what I was thinking, Mom." A smile lightened on my face automatically.

"I saw you running in your first race, when you won that medal and I was there to watch that. I miss those days, Eva. I wish I could be there in every race you won." Tears were flowing from her eyes. She was emotional and true to her heart. My heart filled with sorrow and happiness at the same time. We were connecting after so many years; I didn't remember seeing her like that after my childhood.

"Mom..." I spoke with heavy heart and chocked throat.

"I'm sorry, my child. I thought I was doing everything for you. I never realized how far I walked leaving you two behind. I realize now how big a mistake it was." Her heart was speaking. I got my old mom back and I was very happy for that.

"Mom, you know I love you for everything." I hugged her tightly.

"I love you too, Eva. But I lost your childhood in my business. I wish I could travel back in time and be there for you and your brother. I wish I could turn the wheel in a different direction."

"You don't need to, Mom. We love you for anything and everything." My heart was filled with lots of emotions. I didn't know what I was feeling in my heart. It was good. I wanted to say so many things, but I couldn't.

"But Eva, if I hadn't taken the control of the business from your Dad, we would have been on the streets now. I hope you understand."

She spoke the truth. She saved the dying business and took it to new heights. "And we are thankful for that, Mother."

"I did that for you and your brother, Eve. I tried to manage both lives, personal and business. But I couldn't do that." She put her hands in front of me. "These hands couldn't bear all the pressure. It was dire situations. I don't remember how many nights I spent in the office, going over the financial documents and new designs. Your father screwed everything up, Eve. I am sorry to say this, but he ruined my life."

"But see, Mother, you both are still together." I attempted to raise her mood.

"We are, because I care about social status. Our married life was finished the day he declared bankruptcy for the company. He brought my father's company to its knees. He destroyed everything." I kept quiet; my father was not a favorite topic of mine. "I expected a lot from you and your brother. But it seems that he is going his father's way." She started sobbing hard.

"Mom, please don't cry." I sat in front of her and wiped her tears.

"For ten years I have been doing this. But now, I am fed up with all of this, Eva. I'm fed up with the responsibilities, the pressure." Tears continued flowing from her eyes. She looked older and more vulnerable, the exact opposite to her image in the past ten years. She exhaled. "I wanted your brother to take this from me. Treat it like a small tree and water it to new heights. But he failed, too, just like your father. He thought of this as his own playground. I didn't tell you this earlier. But do you remember when our business in South Asia failed miserably?"

"Yes, I know." Two years ago, my family had started a business in South Asia, but it failed, big time.

"It was your brother, who ruined it. He lost our market share, liquidity and prestige. I had to take over the operations myself."

"But it is still up there, right?" I knew it had failed.

"Only a few stores. We will be closing them soon. I tried my best, Eva, but I alone cannot take care of the States, Europe and the Asian business."

"Why don't we go public? We can get good people on board."

"No, going public is the last thing I will do before I die," she said in firm voice. "Your grandfather set a vision for our company, and it's my duty to fulfill it."

"But not at the expense of your health and emotions." I felt like I understood her after so many years.

"That's why I want you to join the business. You are my last gamble. If you fail, I will go down with all this. But if you run this, I can die peacefully."

"No, you are not talking about death here." I stood up and shook her furiously.

"What other hope do I have?" She asked me a question that I didn't want to answer.

"I don't know. We’ll find out something." I had no idea what I was going to do for her. I felt bad for her. The way she changed herself for us was overwhelming for me. If I was in her place, maybe I couldn't have done it. She sacrificed a lot for me and my brother.

"I don't want to manipulate you, Eva. I just want your help and this is for our own good," she said in a heavy voice, and walked outside. I laid down on the bed, thinking about what she just said. She changed my motivation of fighting against her. In the wee hours of the evening, she turned me into a villain. By refusing to join the company, I was doing bad things to her and my family; at least I thought that way. "I'm sorry, Mother, for everything," I muttered.