Chapter 235

I stayed working out with them though out the summer. It worked just exactly like that. I also had my picture made with Reggie, and the rest of the gym guys. The ones who were wanted anyway. Some didn want to be in the pictures. I never asked anyone except Reggie to do it the others just volunteered.

During that same period of time, I made some legitimate purchases and sales. I finally turned some of the bus tokens into jewelry. I tried using one of the gold coins I purchased. I didn't hold a lot of hope that it would be purchases, since it's sale price would be over two thousand dollars. I didn't clean it up either. It was still in it's antique state.

The jewelry didn't do well in the shop, but it probably did as well as Jeremy's original art work. If Jeremy really wanted to do well, he needed to be in the plaza at the very least. Still there was some tourist business. In the last two years Warren County had a couple of the old summer homes of the wealthy and super wealthy turned into bed and breakfast. Part of the appeal of the bed and breakfast were shops like Jeremy's. The downtown of County Seat was becoming a retail center for crafts. The rents remained low in the old buildings so they were finding new life selling everything from wooden toys to fried apples pies and cider.

I would like to think that the Brit's pub, and Jeremy's Rainbow Shop had a lot to do with it. The cafe on the square had not changed one bit. There was no reason for it to change. It stayed at capacity as long as it chose to stay open. So maybe I was wrong, and Jeremy didn't need to be in the plaza, where he would just get lost among the quickie retail shops and the big box stores.

I was at the gym with Reggie hitting the bad, when one of the fly weight male fighters asked, "Sylvia how about going a few rounds with me. My sparing partner is MIA today. I came all the way from Dobson to go a couple of rounds with him. I promise I will take it easy on you, if you would spare with me."

I looked at Reggie and he nodded his head at me. "I have never spared with anyone before so I can't promise the same thing."

"Oh really," he said in this Spanish accented voice.

"Yeah really," I replied.

"Well I can take all you got, but if you go to crazy I just might knock you out." he said.

"Do what you gotta do," I suggested.

We climbed in the ring. I was in my workout suit. "He is going to lay back and just kind of tap away at you cause you got no class. Just do the thing you do and put him on his pretty boy ass." Reggie suggested. My opinion of Reggie went up.

The headgear was too big for me but it wasn't a bad fit Reggie assured me. He rang the bell and it was on.

I went out and let him throw a couple of jabs, then he threw one that missed badly when I ducked and moved right. When I saw the opening I went in and threw a couple of combination to his gut and ribs. I stayed away from his face. Since we were both wearing the helmets it wouldn't do much good anyway. I did throw one right hand at his head when I stepped back. The bell went off then.

The kid shook his head and smile. He had under estimated me before, so I knew it was on. He knew I came to fight. I stepped into the center of the ring with the bell sounded. He went to work on my face that second round. I don't know if he thought I would go all girlie on him or what, but I took the blows and waited for the opening. When it came I went after his body again. I landed a few hard combinations to his belly and ribs. When he backed off, I landed a hard right to his helmet. The bell rang again.

"You bleeding," Reggie said trying to stop the ooze of blood from the bicycle accident scrap which hadn't heeled enough to take the beating.

"Let it go Reggie. It don't hurt and he will keep his eye on that blood while I break his fucking ribs," I said.

It went all five rounds. I know I hurt him, but I couldn't put him down. I had sure as hell slowed him down. He wasn't dancing around the ring anymore. He was drag assing around and I was stalking him. If the fight had gone ten rounds I would have had him on his ass.

"God damn you Sylvia, you fucking listened to me. When he hit you, it all came back to you didn't it." Reggie said all happy and shit.

"When he started pounding on my face, I just wanted to put him on his ass anyway I could. What you said was I knew how to do it." I replied.

"You gonna need some stitches in the face," Reggie said.

"It's okay I got a doctor or retainer," I said with a laugh.

Of course I meant Molly the nurse practitioner. Twenty minutes later I was in the clinic. They didn't make me wait. A RN cleaned it up and asked, "How did you rip the unhealed cut open again."

"Prize fighting," I said. "I think I won on points."

"Damn you crazy girl," she said before she went for Molly.

"If I put stitches in it you are going to have a hell of a scar on that pretty face." Molly said,

"And if you don't?" I asked.

"It will never heal, if you keep abusing your body," she said.

"Put in the stitches," I replied.

"I would feel better if you had a plastic surgeon do this," she said.