Rocky teaches a reluctant Adrian how to box
"C'mon Adrian you won't break nothin' I promise. Now hit it like you mean it," Rocky said as he steadied the bag from behind. Adrian looked up at him, feeling extremely uncomfortable standing in the baggy grey sweatsuit Rocky had pushed her into wearing. Her slender arms hung at her sides, bright red gloves dragging them down like lead weights.
"Rocky I'm no good at this. I'm not a fighter. Please let's just stop." Adrian mumbled as she looked down, scuffing her feet.
"Yo Adrian, you're no good because you're not trying. And don't tell me you're not a fighter. You're the toughest person I know. Now look here, watch what I do." Rocky came out from behind the heavy bag and came to stand next to Adrian.
"Now you gotta punch long and extend your arms if you wanna hit hard." Rocky said as he lined his arm up with the bag. "Watch me," He said and then hit the bag with a bruising left jab.
"Now you try."
Adrian wearily lifted her arms and gave a halfhearted attempt at a right jab, her glove glancing off of the bag and falling heavily to her side. She sighed in frustration and looked up at Rocky's face, hoping against hope that he would see that she wasn't going to get better and just drop this silly idea already. But she knew better than to think her stubborn fighter of a husband would give up so easily.
"C'mon Adrian, you can hit harder than that. I've seen you swat Paulie with more power." Adrian smiled despite herself. Rocky smiled back as he positioned himself behind her, grabbing hold of her wrapped wrists. He leaned down so his chin rested on her thin shoulder and pulled her left arm up by her face as he pushed the right out into the bag.
"Y'see you always gotta keep your guard up to protect your face. I like your teeth where they are." Rocky laughed.
"If you're supposed to always protect yourself, why do you let the other fighters hit you in the face so much?" Adrian retorted.
"I don't know, I guess I should take my own advice." Rocky chuckled and shook his head. "Let's try again."
Rocky again pushed Adrian's fist out so it hit the bag a little harder this time. Then again. And again. Each time Adrian hit a little bit harder and Rocky pushed a little bit softer. Soon enough, he stepped back and watched as Adrian hit over and over again. His face lit up with a goofy grin as he watched Adrian's shy smile shift into a grim look of determination.
Adrian's hits got harder and faster as she became more comfortable with the motions, eventually switching from right to left and back again. There was something relaxing and cathartic about pounding away at the bag.
When her hands began to hurt Adrian stepped back, looking over at her husband as she wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her arm. Rocky looked back at his wife with a wide grin. Adrian was looking more disheveled than he'd ever seen her; pieces of hair hanging down into her eyes and sweat dripping down her temples. Her thin chest heaved under her sweatshirt as she fought to get her breath back.
"Yo Adrian, you did it. I knew you had it in you!" Rocky said as he grabbed her in a hug and gave her a quick peck. He reached down to undo the laces of the gloves, pausing to kiss the swollen knuckles of each hand as they were exposed. Adrian glanced up from her hands to his face and stood up on tiptoes to place another longer kiss on Rocky's lips.
"Thank you," she whispered quietly as she kissed him once more.
"I knew you was a fighter," Rocky whispered back.
A few weeks later Rocky was sitting in the living room watching t.v. with Butkus when he heard the front door slam open as Adrian stormed in and tossed her purse onto a side table. Rocky looked up worriedly from the screen. "Yo Adrian, what's wrong?"
"Ooh that Paulie makes me so mad I could just...Ugh!" Adrian ranted as she pulled off her coat and flung it onto a chair. Rocky sat frozen but his eyes followed her as she stomped across the living room and down the basement stairs. Rocky stood up and walked over to the steps. He was just about to walk down to see if Adrian was all right when he heard the familiar rhythmic sounds of punches landing on the heavy bag. Instead of interrupting, Rocky just shook his head and smiled.
"I always knew you was a fighter."