Yoko Martinet poured egg batter onto the hot pan. Scrambled eggs on the stove and a few bread rolls in the oven. A modest breakfast. Hmm. Lou could use some fruit in his diet. She opened the fridge. "Hey sweetie, you want to share a chopped pear for breakfast?"
"Sure, sure." Lou sat back in his chair, drinking some of his coffee and reading the Wall Street Journal. "I called the hospital this morning. They said Luigi was healthy, all things considered."
Seeing the eggs where done cooking, Yoko chopped it up and put it on two plates, then washed off the knife and started slicing into the pear. "So, we are gonna take him out outta the hospital today, right?"
"I can handle it." Lou drunk a little more coffee. "You mind going with Mario to check on Mac and that fight thing he's doing tonight? I wanna see how good of a parking spot we can get."
"Nonsense." She snapped, driving the knife into the cutting board. "I'm going with you to see our son. I wouldn't miss this for the world."
"If you say so." He took another sip of coffee. "Stocks look good today."
"How do you think he's gonna react?" She opened the oven and took out the bread rolls. One for her, two for Lou. He always loved an extra bread roll. Cover one with honey and the other with butter, and her husband was a very happy man.
"Not sure. Be ready for anything." Lou looked at the clock. 9:38 AM. A little later than what he wanted, but as long as he was on the road by 10:30, he was good.
Finished preparing breakfast, she walked to the kitchen table and passed him his plate. "Here you go, dear." The two shared a kiss before Yoko sat down. As she closed her eyes and prepared to say grace, she tasted something on her lip. "Whiskey."
"Huh?" Lou said, watch his wife stand up, growing angrier by the second.
"Did you put some of that Jack Daniels from the nightstand in your morning coffee?!"
"It's not much. Just a few drops. I'm just trying to take the edge off. What can I say, I like my coffee a bit more Irish nowadays."
"Are you seriously about to go before your, who is leaving the hospital crippled, drunk? First thing in the morning?!"
"I'm not drunk! If you hadn't kissed me, you never would have known!"
"Well I do know, and I think that's enough for one morning." She snatched the mug away from him. "Your son needs you on your A-game, mister."
DING! DONG!
"That's probably Mario. I better go let him in." Lou quickly excused himself from the table and moved for the door.
Yoko poured the mug's contents into the sink. "You do that."
"Mornin' son, how are you feeling?" Lou asked after opening the door. "Damn. It's really cold out there today, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess." Mario stepped inside, wearing a puffy red jacket. "Hey mom. Hey dad."
"Good morning sweetie! Would you like something to eat?" His mother called from the kitchen, currently washing the dishes.
"Nah, I had something to eat on the way over here. Mac is at Doc's gym getting ready for this fight tonight. I was hoping after we get Luigi home we can just talk with Mac for a little while. Make sure his head is right before the match starts."
Lou nodded. "Sounds good. I take it that means you waiting for me to get ready to go?"
"Whenever you're ready," Mario replied. "Take your time."
"Lou, did you show him the wheelchair yet?" Yoko called out."
Mario turned to his father. "Wheelchair?"
"It's in the garage. I'll be right back." Lou walked out of the living room to the back of the house.
"We got it as a surprise for your brother," Yoko explained. "Wait until you see what it does!"
"How much did that cost?"
"About $13,000."
Holy shit, 5 figures? Mario thought. "How did you pay for that?"
"We dipped a little into our savings." She dried off her hands, done with the dishes.
"I wish you guys would have told me this. I could have paid for it with the money Pauline gave me."
"We talked about it, and we decided that you had enough on your plate and we could do this one thing ourselves."
"Is there anything else you guys bought and didn't tell me about?"
"No. We were thinking about having a stair lift installed, so Luigi can get up and down the stairs..."
"Here it is!" Lou emerged from the garage, pushing a black wheelchair, which appeared to have a motor on the bottom. A joystick was prominent at the end of the left arm of the chair. "One of the best electric wheelchairs on the market today! Lightweight! Fast! Long-lasting battery! It can fit through the house! It's got everything you could want! It's even got one of those uh...the computer things uh... Yoko help me out here."
"Microprocessors."
"Yeah that. It's got a microprocessor on it! We've been charging this thing since last night, and it's all ready to go! Your brother is going to be as comfortable as possible in this wheelchair! Isn't that great Mario?"
Mario gave the wheelchair a glance. As comfortable as possible in this wheelchair.
"Mario?" Lou called out to his non-responding son. "Mario, you listening?"
"Yeah! Yeah, yeah." Mario nodded. "Great. Sorry, I was just subtracting the 13k from the money Pauline gave me, as well as-"
"Now ain't the time for thinking about money. Now's the time to celebrate and move forward, as a family." Lou grabbed his keys off of the table. "Why don't you ride with us in the station wagon? We should all be together with Luigi when he comes home."
"I gotta keep the car warm. Don't want the engine freezing. There's a rumor going around that the antifreeze everyone is selling is a little more watery than normal."
Lou nodded. "Oh, I see. Yeah, that don't surprise me. Take your car to a garage, and its got more problems than when it came in, and you're stuck with a bill on top of it. Alright then. We'll meet you up there."
"Let me go put on my coat." Yoko rushed upstairs.
"See you guys at the hospital. Later." Mario said he walked out of the door.
As comfortable as possible. In this wheelchair.
He slammed the door of his pickup truck as he got behind the wheel, a barely eaten Egg McMuffin on the passenger seat.
Comfortable.
That was the last fucking word Mario would ever use to describe that chair. Just looking at the thing made his stomach turn. Luigi would have to spend the rest of his life in that thing. Everyone around him could just walk and move about as they pleased, and he was gonna have to use that wheelchair just to move from one side of a room to the other. The hell was comfortable about that? But he wasn't gonna say that. Not to his parents. After everything they'd been through. They were just trying to make the most of it.
They were just cleaning up his mess.
"How you feel, kid?" Doc Louis bit into a chocolate bar, already knowing the answer but asking anyway.
"Doc, I don't feel so good." Mac sat in the middle of the ring. His stomach felt like it was being twisted into knots. Every few minutes he was looking at the clock on the wall. The fight was drawing nearer and nearer. Holy shit. I'm actually gonna do this. I'm actually gonna fight somebody.
He grabbed his stomach and bent over. It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing his body. "I think I'm gonna throw up."
"I remember my first WVBA match." Doc put the wrapper in his pocket. "I was just as nervous as you are."
"Really?" Mac looked up at him.
"Can't ever forget it. October 27, 1958. Cold ass day. The WVBA was in its early stages. Donnie King was in Yonkers running around renting out rec centers and gyms for shows. He brought in this dude from overseas. 'Jack the Kraken' was what people called him. Now, Jack had a few years of experience on me, and I was scared as all hell I was gonna get embarrassed in front of a crowd of people."
"How did you get over it?"
"As much as I hate to admit it, Donnie King helped me out. He found me in my room shaking in my boots. And for the next half hour, all he did was swear up a blue streak. Then he turned my head and made me look outside. The place we was staying at was across the street from a steakhouse. he made me look up and down the place, and for the life of me, I didn't see anyone eating that looked like me. And Donnie told me that I didn't have a thing in the world other than this fight and if I didn't win, I was gonna starve. The last thing he told me before he left was that I better fight like there was no tomorrow. Because if I lost, there wouldn't be."
Doc paused and turned away from his student. Memories, all rushing back into his mind like a waterfall. They left such a sour taste in his mouth.
"Donnie King is a shitstain of a human being, but he knows how to get things done. Never been so motivated in my life. Went into that fight and destroyed Kraken in the first round. There wasn't a second. All I could think about was winning. Hit, and don't get hit. You have to just focus, and push past everything. All the problems in your life. Everything you're afraid of. Push past all of it, and concentrate on your opponent, and what you have to do to knock him out."
He put his hand on Mac's shoulder. "I seen a lot of guys in my day not put on their A-game, especially in their first few matches. They were scared, nervous. They hesitated. They all lost. They didn't believe in themselves. You have to put your best foot forward. Now that doesn't mean you have to jump in face first. Clear your mind. Focus on the task at hand, and go in there thinking about what you need to do to win. You don't want the regret of what could have been. Give it your all, and no matter what happens, you can hang your head on the fact that you didn't hold back. Understand?"
Mac hesitated, seeming to be at a loss for words. He seemed to be understanding what Doc was saying, but the look of uneasiness on his face meant he wasn't too fired up about all of this. Still, progress was progress. Time for something new.
Doc turned and looked at the clock. "You know what the real problem is? All this waiting you're doing. They say an idle mind is the devil's playground. Need to be doing some last minute prepping. Come on, get in the ring."
Mac nodded, quickly rolling into the ring. Doc grinned to himself as he got into the ring. Keep Mac occupied until the fight. A good a plan as any. The kid seemed eager for a distraction anyway.
"Now, we seen the footage of your opponent. We know what he's capable of. What you're gonna have to do to win this fight, is to strike first. Now most boxers fight in a rhythm. They punch in a rhythm, and they move their feet and body in a rhythm. When the fight starts, most boxers move in carefully to try to figure out their opponent's rhythm. If your opponent cant figure out your rhythm, he can't come at you effectively, and you can even bait him into a punch, and then you can avoid it and counterpunch. Let's try that out right now. Get in ya regular rhythm."
Mac got into the standard orthodox stance, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.
"Change it up a little a little bit. Get moving."
Mac took a few steps forward, then moved back, going back and forth closer and further from Doc in a straight line.
"Pick it up Mac, get lateral. Move to the sides."
Mac started shuffling to the left and right.
"Part of rhythm is pace, Mac. Don't always keep the same movement pace. Take it up a notch. Move diagonally too."
Pushing off the front foot, Mac quickly moved backward to the right. Then he pushed off his back foot and moved forward to the right."
"Alright Mac, here I come," Doc said, raising his fists. "Do whatever you think is best."
Mac bounced in place as he waited for Doc to make his move.
Doc threw a right hook. Mac stepped back, getting out of range of the punch. He stepped back into the left throw a punch, but Doc took a step back and threw a left jab, coming right at Mac's face. Mac bobbed his head down and slipped to the left, and saw Doc's right glove coming at him. Mac had moved right into Doc's right jab, the blow blasting his head right back. Doc turned his body to the right, putting his weight into a follow up left hook.
Mac never saw it coming. The impact whipping his neck to the side. His shoulder slammed into the mat and his body rolled over. He was left looking at the lights.
"Come on Mac, get up! 1! 2! 3!"
Mac's left arm lagged around, reaching for the bottom rope. Arm shaking, he slowly pulled himself to the side of the ring.
"4! 5! 6!"
Using the ring ropes as ladders, Mac climbed back to a vertical base, leaning on the ropes.
"7! 8! 9!"
Mac took a step forward. His leg staggering, Mac pulled on the top rope just to keep upright.
Guess I overdid a little. Doc thought. "Take a break, Mac. Let me get you some water."
Mac put the ice pack to his head. Months of training. Day in and day out. Getting up before the dawn. Making this his life. All of it. And on the day of his big day, he got knocked out so easily.
This was all a waste of time. He was gonna let everybody down. All the effort put into this wasn't worth it.
He wasn't worth it.
"If you don't like it, don't get hit," Doc said, hearing Mac moan. "You bit on a feint. Hard. You can't get caught like that in a fight. You stepped right into my fists. Don't set yourself up for failure like that. You have to be smarter than that. That's exactly what Cam is gonna do to you in the fight tonight. You know his plan, there is no excuse on not working around it."
The two heard a knock on the door. Doc put down his chocolate bar. "The hell? Don't tell me that's Donni-No. Get outta here!" His face turned into a big grin. "No it ain't!"
"Doc!" The man gave an energetic waved as he walked in. He wore a gold chain over a black button-down shirt and jeans. "How you been doing big fella?!"
"Lenny!" The two men embraced in a hearty hug, Doc practically swallowing up the much smaller man.
"Don't break my back now, with ya fat ass! Get up off me!"
"Nice to see you too man! How you been? How Miami been treating you?"
"Man, I don't know why anyone would live in New York in December, Miami is where it's at! The temperature is high, and the clothing is low!"
"I hear you. Go on then!" Doc pushed Mac forward.
"Mac, this my old friend Lenny Ray! He's one of the trainers at the 5th Street Gym in Miami. A former world middleweight champion. Lenny, this my current student, Mac. He's gonna be in a fight tonight to get one of them Future Investment Contracts the WVBA give out."
"Nice to meet you son!" Lenny gave Mac a hard handshake. "Gotta say Doc, I'm pretty surprised you went with such a small guy. as your pupil. You know Tyson is a real big fan of you."
Doc raised an eyebrow. "Tyson Michaels is a fan of me? Never heard that before."
"Oh, he is a big fan! I talk to him about a month ago He said once he gets the WVBA belt, the first thing he's gonna do is come to the gym, and he wants you to sign his book of yours, and he wants you to sign his title."
"Really now?"
"Yeah. He should be champion by now, but Bald Bull had to get that eye surgery. Personally, I think he's just ducking Tyson. I never thought I would see the day Erse Yagan, the Bald Bull, would duck from a fight, but I been hearing from the grapevine Tyson got him shook. "
"No kidding." Doc looked away, his face full of disbelief.
"But, that's all well and all, but I think you told me your guy has a fight tonight? For a Bright Futures contract?"
"He's gonna be fighting this guy called Cam Titlle. "
"Cam Titlle? I know that guy. Peeped his game for a little bit. Spanish dude. Heard he was going to the Olympics soon or later. Mac, how many fights you win?"
"N-None. This is my first fight."
Now it was Lenny's turn to be surprised. "Yo first? Doc, my man, what is you doing? Man you know boxing better than anyone, but you really going trial by fire ain't ya? I mean he looks in shape but uh, his first fight? A bit too much, don't you think? Look at the acne on his face. Granted its not too much, certainly not as bad as my youngest son, but still. I would have held him back for another year or two. You sure you made the right call?"
"Donnie ain't give too much of a choice, I'm afraid," Doc said.
Lenny groaned, turning away his head in disgust. "Ugh, Donnie fucking King. That sack of shit. See that is why I never fucked with Donnie King or the WVBA. I was smart. I went to the International League of Boxing and its Associates (ILBA). That's the real shit. It ain't all sunshine and rainbows, but its better than Donnie King any day of the week!"
"As much as I hate to say it, the IBLA is a sinking ship. Lenny. The WVBA putting it outta business."
"Nah, it'll recover. The Bruiser Brothers and the rest of them will make it popular again. Wait, what time is it." Lenny looked down and checked his Rolex. "Man, I don't mean to talk ya head off. Y'all got work to do and I don't wanna contribute to ya losing. I'll tell you this much kid: listen to Doc. Do whatever he says. He'll get ya through. Doc, I will say this, you know he gotta knock Cam out right? If it goes to decision, ya gonna lose. I'll just tell you that right now."
"I know." Doc nodded. "We got it worked out. Thanks for stopping by man, always good to see you. I appreciate it."
"No problem man. Great to see you too." Lenny gave Mac another look over. "Tell you the truth, I kinda like the kid. Got him in shape, that's always a plus. You watch footage of Cam?"
"Yeah. Studied him all night long."
"Knowing is half the battle. Yeah...yeah, you can pull it off. Tell you what man, I gotta bounce, but I'll swing by the gym and catch the fight. I'll be rooting for ya! See you ringside!"
"Aight man, see you later!"
After Lenny walked out of the gym, Doc turned back to Mac. "Alright, let's go over the gameplan. Feign the uppercut. Now, you know he keeps his right hand down to punch to the body. If that hook comes and you can't dodge it, block it with your right hand and throw a left hook of your own. Got that."
Mac nodded.
"We got a few hours before the fight. Let's get back to work."
"So, how is he?" Mario whispered.
"Out like a broken light." His father replied. "Hospital might have given him something before they let him go."
He glanced at his son, who was lying on the couch.
"Either way, don't wake him up. He needs his rest."
After returning home, Luigi had watched TV for half an hour or so before falling asleep. Hiro and Kiyo were snuggling on him for a midday nap.
"He's been through a lot." The words came out Yoko somberly. "I'm just so glad he's home. I almost lost my baby boy forever."
"Remember that kid that the boys used to hang out with? Jason Simms? He got stabbed in an alley a couple years ago. Bled out on the street." Lou shook his head in disgust. "That's why I got them into gun training."
"Yeah, I remember Jason. I also remember the fight we had about letting my children near guns."
"A lot of good that amounted too," Lou muttered. "My son still ends up paralyzed."
"There's nothing else we could have done." Yoko grabbed his shoulder. "I'm glad Mario can protect himself if need be."
"That's not what you said at the time."
She smacked him in the arm. "I let you do it, didn't I? Don't push it."
Mario looked at the clock on the stove. 3:18 P.M. Doc said to be at the gym in Queens by 6.
He pulled his keys out of his pocket. "I'm gonna go pick up Mac."
"Make sure your back in time so you can come with your brother," Lou said.
"I will."
"Do you want me to make you a sandwich before you go?" His mother asked him.
He was already halfway out the door. "I'm good, thanks."
He started the car and drove down the street. Mac. Tonight was about Mac. Damn, he could get that FIC Contract, that was an extra 50 grand a year. That could help make up for losing the plumbing business. Could help take care of Luigi. Could just have everyone feel better. Money made everything easier.
"Really banking on you kid." He whispered to himself. "Come through for me."
"Are you sure I shouldn't be doing anything else?" Mac looked at the clock. 3:52 P.M. How long was Mario gonna take to get here?
Every minute, every second was one more opportunity to get ready. Get a little bit faster. Get a little bit stronger. Get a little bit tougher. Just to have a little bit better chance to somehow miraculously come away with a victory- no.
There's not enough time left.
Nothing else he could do. There was nothing that could be done now to change the outcome of the fight. The clock to was too close to 0.
His fate was already sealed.
"You've done enough," Doc replied, finishing a chocolate bar. "Let your body rest. And let ya mind rest too. You've done great work, Mac. I gotta go to the airport to pick up Mama but I'll see you in Queens for the fight. Get yourself a quick bite to eat in the meantime."
Mario's truck pulled up. "Come on, kid," Mario shouted from outside. "We don't wanna be on the road when people get off of work."
Mac grabbed his gym bag to head out.
"Remember," Doc said. "It doesn't matter if you can or cant win if you dont at least think you can, you won't."
"...Later Doc."
Mario noticed Mac's solemn expression as he got into the car. He really wasn't in the mood for talking himself. Probably for the better he didn't pry. Apparently whatever he was thinking about he wanted to be left alone.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
No use letting him stew in his own thoughts before something as big as this.
"Why did you stop for me in the alley?" Mac replied, turning from the window to Mario to see his reaction.
"I heard some noise. Decided to check it out." He didn't even change his expression for a second.
"I'm serious Mario! Mac shouted. " You could've, you could've walked away at any time. You could've decided after 20 seconds of talking to me I wasn't worth your time! You could've just left me there! Everyone else did! But you didn't! You let me into your home. You gave me food! You gave me clothes, you gave me a place to sleep! Why? You had no idea I was gonna meet Doc when we first met, so it wasn't boxing money! What made me worth accepting?! What made me worth everything you've done for me?!"
Mario merged into traffic, looking out of the left outside rear-view mirror. Even after he was done.
"TELL ME!" Mac slammed his fist against the car. "TELL ME WHY ALL OF THIS IS HAPPENING TO ME!"
Mario made a left turn.
"...Please."
Mario stopped at the red light.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" Mac recoiled in his seat. Holding his face. Crying.
"You seemed like someone that could use a hand," Mario replied. "I just did for you what I wish someone would do for me when I get low."
Mac looked up at Mario, stunned.
The light hit green. Traffic moved forward, the two riding in silence.
That's it? Mac thought. That was the only reason? Being good, for goodness' sake? Everything that had happened, everything that was going to happen, all of it simply hinging on Mario simply being nice?
"Really?" he squeaked out. "Just to be kind to me?"
"A lot of people don't get that much in this world, Mac," Mario replied, seeing his parents house up ahead. "Take what you can get."
He parked his car and took the keys out of the ignition. "I helped you by giving you a chance. Now help yourself and win tonight."
He got out of the truck. "Mom left you a salad in the fridge if you want it. Try to stay quiet, Luigi's asleep."
As they went inside, the pitter patter of feet rushing them intensified.
"WOOF WOOF!"
"QUACK!"
Hiro and Kiyo gathered around their feet to greet them, jumping up and down in excitement.
"Nice to see you guys too!" Mac gave th both belly rubs and scratches.
"Mario, Mac, that you guys?" Luigi called out.
Mario turned and saw his brother propped up on the arm of the couch.
"Yeah... it's us."
"Luigi, how do you feel man?" Mac asked.
"Great. Anything beats being stuck up in that hospital."
"Where are Mom and Dad?" Mario asked.
"They had to go out and do something. They said they'll just meet us over in Queens. The address you gave them was good, right?"
"Should be good." Mario looked at the clock. 4:27 P.M. Traffic was gonna be a nightmare for an hour or so anyway. They just had to be there by 7:30.
"Mac, if you're going to eat, do it now," Mario said.
"I already took my meds," Luigi said.
"I'm gonna upstairs to my room." Mario quickly went up the steps. "Be ready to leave in an hour."
"Alright. I'm not going anywhere." Luigi cut on the TV.
Mac sat down next to him, salad in his lap. Hiro and Kiyo settled at their feet.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"You know Mario's still really messed up about what happened to me, right?"
Mac almost choked on his salad. That escalated quickly. "Ye..ah." He said between coughs.
"Mom and Dad left so I could talk to him alone. They wanted you there too since we were all in the apartment together. Fair warning, it's gonna get awkward."
"Alright...thanks," Mac said, looking down at his food. "Does this mean you're over what happened to you?"
Luigi paused. That somehow hadn't crossed his mind. He had been so concerned about trying to make his parents and Mario as happy as possible, he wasn't really sure about how he felt about the whole thing.
He should be angry. He should be bitter. His whole life got warped. He would spend the rest of his days coping with his disability, as well as would his family, while everyone else in the world carried on with business as usual.
"To tell you the truth," he said, the words feeling weird as they came out of his mouth. "When you sit in that hospital for hours on end, and it's just you and your thoughts. You come to terms with a lot of things and just become appreciative of what you do have, not angry about what you don't. Honestly, I'm ready to move on."
He made a fist. "So go out there and win tonight, alright kid?"
Well my heart was way down
In a cold cold winter storm
Shoutout to JasonSimsWolf for letting me use him for a cameo. Check his stuff out.
