Alice

Jack

I cracked and I called her, but she's okay. She's with Laura. I feel like Laura sees the spark between us, though it doesn't matter whether she does, it just reinforces to me that its real. Someone knocks on the door, "Come in."

Its Elias, "Hey jack I brought you something," He throws a pack of gummy bears on me. "Gummy bears?"

He chuckles, "Not just any gummy bears, vitamin enriched to help you recover for tomorrow."

"oh..." I smile, I like gummy bears.

"I didn't just come for that, Jack, I came to talk about you."

"What about me?"

"Are you ready for this?"

"For what, the fight? I've trained and pushed with everything I've got ofcourse I'm ready."

"I don't mean with training, I mean up here." He points to his head.

"Jack, you've pushed yourself hard this time... You nearly passed out cutting weight... I know you want to fight but, you're forty, most fighters are in retirement homes at this age or worse..."

"And?"

"My point is, you don't have much fights left in you and if you keep up at this rate your body is going to fail, but more importantly, whatever you're running from in your mind, or running too, its not healthy and this isn't the way to fix it..."

I know he's right, so I stay quiet.

"I know this isn't a talk we're supposed to be having the night before a fight, but I just... after the weight cut today, the way you looked... I'm just telling you as a friend, leave while you still can, I've seen stronger, younger men suffer the worst of fates in that ring..."

I nod, "Alright jack, eat your bears, I'll see you tomorrow, show up ready to destroy."

"Will do,"

He leaves. I know he's right but, I need to do this and no one but me understands why. Tomorrow I'll show up ready. I finish the snack and go to sleep.
***
I wake to the sound of people in my room moving things around. It's max and Elias, they're packing. "Hey, how do you feel." I sit up and stretch, my body aches, especially my head, my joints feel like they have sand in them and my eyes feel drawn, I feel like this every morning though, there's no energy in me.

"I feel great man, ready to kick some ass today." Elias smiles because he's older than I am, and he must know what it feels like to get out of bed at forty.

"Good, lets get your stuff in order and head out, the fight card starts at around six, we're the main event, so we should be fighting around Eleven pm."
"
Okay," I look at my watch and its eleven am right now, I slept for so long, I usually do after a weigh in. I'm ready for this, I haven't been this ready in a long time.