Chapter 234

"Go find yourself something you can hold, buy yourself some warm up gloves and I'll show you how to work out. Don't get the idea I'm training you, I'm not. For a fifty bucks a month you can come hang out, when I'm here, you might learn something."

"I can join a yuppie gym in Dobson with all the yuppie equipment for 30 bucks a month," I said.

"Then get your white ass out of here," he said.

"Fifty a month, that's more than any of these losers pay you," I said.

"Go buy your gloves and something to hold and come back with the money," he said.

I went home first. The first thing I did after my shower was to find a store in the yellow pages that sold boxing gloves. It took three called before I found one.

I drove straight to the store in Abbottsville. "You sell boxing gloves," I asked again. I already knew from their website and phone call that they did.

"Yes ma'am we do," the clerk said.

"I need the ones for use with the workout bags. I really don't need the match gloves." I said.

"There really aren't many places you can work out with these. That kind of equipment is kind of out of fashion," he said.

"Well I have found one, so what do I owe you," I asked wanting to get the hell out of there, before I showed my ass.

He wanted $27 for the gloves, so I paid him then left. I drove back to county seat. I had been racking my brain trying to think what I could use in my hand. What I came up with was automotive heater hose. I had seen plenty of it when I worked on the Air Force truck convoys. It was alway blowing out due to the heat in the places, where we were driving.

So I stopped at an national chain parts store and bought a foot of the stuff. I measured my hand and it was about four inches across. I had them cut it in a pieces about four inches The pieces fit my hand with just a little hanging over. I found that I could grip it pretty securely. Since it was late in the afternoon, I took an envelope and put $50 in it. Then I drove to the gym. I got there just in time to work the heavy bag. I handed him the envelope. "So you gonna show me how to hit the bag, or are you busy with one of the other losers?" I asked.

"You should tape you hands, but put on you new workout gloves. Lets see if you can last a half hour on the bag. If you last a half hour, I'll tape your hands for you next time.

I put on the gloves and held the heater hose in my hand. "Now I can't hit all that hard with this hand yet, but I can jab with it." I said.

"You let me be the one to work out a strategy. You just hit the bag. Remember it's a long fight so go easy." I went to work on the bag. "Move god damn it." he screamed at me.

I didn't talk back I just did what he said. I would go three minute and rest one then do it again. I fought for eight rounds. When the time ran out my legs were wobbly, but I kept hitting that fucking bag. It wasn't for him and it wasn't because I wanted to be a boxer, it was just because I refused to quit. Not as long as he kept yelling at me to move to my right and fake the left. Now hammer that right hand home. Those words drove me on.

"Now get in close and give him both hands," he said. There was a little pain in the left hand, but not as much as I expected. I could deliver a respectable jab with it. "Now back up and hit him with the left, then the right," he said.

"Okay that was your first three fourths of an hour. If you can come back tomorrow, I'll tape your hands like I promised and really give you a workout." he said.

I was so tired I couldn't speak.

"We open at 8 AM Porter, anytime after that will be fine," he said. They call me Reggie around here.

I just nodded and staggered to my car. It was difficult to do anything that night. My arms felt like they had a mind of their own. I managed to heat a frozen dinner in the microwave then clean up and fall into bed. The combination of the three mile run and the hour on the heavy bad had taken a real toll me. It really felt good to fall into bed and go right to sleep.

"You do know, you look like you have been in a fight already," Reggie said.

"Yeah, I was in a fight, kind of, and the other guy didn't do any better than me." I said.

"Good for you. So did you run first today, before you came?" he asked.

"No, I'm going to run after, if I'm able," I said.

"Do you run through the streets of town like Rocky?" he asked as he taped my hands.

"No, around the softball field over behind the recreation center," I said.

"Yeah that's a good place to run. Okay, let's go to work. Usually guys warm up shadow boxing but you wont get a chance to warm up when you fight, so let's just do it. Ding," he said and I went right to work on the bag. "Move damn it he is gonna beat the shit out of you. Hit him with the left right combo like I showed you."

"Move god damn it, don't be a target. That's how you get your ass whipped," he said.

I moved off the bag then went in and beat the shit out of it. I moved back and forth on the bag like it was someone trying to get to me. I was exhausted but I kept hitting it over and over. "Time," Reggie said. "Are you here or somewhere else?"