Will and I had gone to one of his usual haunts, a bar near his work. It was run down- -its carpets round the side of the room were worn, the floor tiles in the centre cracked, the tables chipped. It suited the area, some empty factories, some old almost derelict houses- just what you’d expect from years of free trade –when all our decent jobs were going to Mexico- “Yeah” I muttered, “America’s biggest export: jobs.”
Will introduced me to lots of his friends as ‘my new woman, Jenn.” That made me very happy. He told them where and how he had met me. That impressed some of the guys; they bought me a few beers. It didn’t impress some of the women; they looked edgy. But there were others who sized me up. I knew the look well, “Too well” my dark side sneered. “You use it yourself, you’re using it now, you’re thinking about fighting, you want to prove yourself to Will again. You want to show how tough you are. You just know that some of these women are as tough as you, that they too want to prove themselves. It’s that kind of place, look at it- it’s a low dive, those marks look like bloodstains. It’s that kind of people. Look at them, bikers and their women in leathers.”
I tried to ignore that crap and talk to some of the people there. Will walked off and talked to some other guys. I was startled when he had been over there for about a quarter of an hour. I went over, “hey Will?”
He looked at me blankly.
“Err I thought we were on a date?”
“I’m talking to my friends.” He looked even more blankly. He turned his back to me. “Sorry guys, she doesn’t understand. “ He went on talking.
I gaped; I just knew I looked an idiot, that everyone standing there thought I was dumb. I turned red and walked back.
“Hey you,” this tall woman stopped me. She had been one of those who had been sizing me up before. “You’ve got a lot to learn. This place has a code.”
I looked at her again. She wasn’t just tall she was strong, her solid arms were covered with tats, - I just knew her back and belly would be too. “Hell I only wanted to say hi to my guy.”
“No bitch breaks it. Not even bitches who fight for money, make that especially not bitches who fight for money.”She stood there, blocking my way, hands on her hips. “I guess you think you’re tough. That doesn’t cut the mustard here.”
“Like I said, I only wanted to say hi to my guy.” I waited, she stood there. “Excuse me please.” She didn’t budge. “Excuse me please” I repeated “I want to get a drink.”
She said, “I don’t think you’ve heard me, this place has a code.
“I’ve heard you; you’ve told me there’s a code, you’ve told me I have lots to learn. Yeah I probably do. Are you going to give me lessons? Right now is not a good time. Right now I want to get a drink. Is that against the code? Perhaps” I never got to finish the sentence- I was about to say “Perhaps you’d join me and then you can explain things.”
Instead she snapped. “Yes I will give you a lesson; starting now!” She put her hands on my shoulders and pushed me back, hard. I was completely surprised; I stumbled back. I regrouped, I slapped my hands on her shoulders and pushed her. As always when there was a shoving match I was glad of my weight. My boots dug into the torn carpet, I shoved, I stopped going back. For a long moment we stood there, straining, gasping, our bodies tense.
edged her back, just half a pace. “Shit!” she hissed as I shoved again.
There were cries of, “Fight, fight!” and people cheered, hooted and catcalled. They weren’t cheering for me- not even Will. But the noise soon stopped.
She tried to force me back, for a second she succeeded. I slipped on a loose bit of carpet. But I regained traction and shoved. Her advance stopped, she faltered, I pushed again. Again she edged back a pace or so. I pushed harder, she groaned, she stumbled back. She put her head down; as if she was going to head butt me. I just know she wanted me to step back. I didn’t. I lowered my head and pushed harder. She staggered. I shoved again. Crack! Our heads met! Mine hurt immediately. I felt stars.
“Shit” she groaned. I shoved, suddenly there was no resistance, she had gone. I almost slumped forward. I raised my head; she stood to the side her hands raised, ready to pound me. I dodged the hammer blow by dropping to my knees. As she tried to bend to hit me, I grabbed her legs, jerked my head up and shoved hard. Her momentum and my push helped, she tumbled over me landing on her tummy.
She rolled away from me, she started to stand; I sprang at her as she was on her knees, my hands grasping at her throat. I forced her down; me on top. She was bigger, perhaps stronger, she used her advantages, she twisted, turned forcing me to her side. We wrestled on the floor, rolling, grabbing, clawing, punching at each other. Her blows told on my sides and face. I just knew from her grunts that my blows told too. Each of us tried to get on top. Each succeeded for a few seconds as we rolled but were unable to take that advantage until after perhaps two minutes the bitch seized my shoulders and pinned them, as if doing pushups. She straddled me, her legs athwart my body. I strained, I punched at her belly, her boobs, anywhere till she captured first one arm then the other, pinning them under her knees. I tried to bridge, I couldn’t, the bitch was too strong.
There was no way this bitch was going to beat me like this, not with all these people watching, not with Will there. I took a deep breath and, turning my head to the side, bit her thigh. I didn’t care if it were a dirty move, I was desperate. And it worked. She howled. I wormed my hands from under her legs and punched hard in her belly. She gasped. I grabbed her left arm; I yanked it hard, pulling her from her straddle.
I tried to get up but she was too quick, throwing her hands around my waist, dragging me back to the floor. Again we rolled, this time I got lucky with a punch that slammed into her chin; for a few seconds she was dazed. And it was only a few seconds I needed to roll her onto her back and straddle her. I grabbed her head, pulling it up. I slammed it into the floor. She groaned. I was about to do it again when she slammed her fist into my belly. It sank in deep, I spluttered, letting go of her head. She repeated the punch. I spluttered again, I wanted to barf, regretting the beers I’d had already. She punched a third time. I rolled off her. I got to my feet.
It was so different to the Stadium, there there were people cheering, catcalling, yelling advice, here few people said anything. They- men and women together stood round, watching us. I looked for Will, he stood, drink in hand a half smile
The bitch and I circled each other. She tried to use her longer reach to keep me off while she punched me. That worked, while I blocked most of her blows- especially to my vulnerable and weakened gut, she landed hard punches on my face, my shoulders and my boobs. Each made me groan, each hurt, each took something out of me. She blunted my attacks; by keeping her distance from me I could hardly hit her. I just knew that if f she kept at this, I’d be destroyed.
“And” my dark side told me, “If you lose you say bye to Will. He only wants you because you fuck and you fight. This is the first time he’s taken you to meet his friends. This is the first time he’s taken you to a bar. He’ll lose face if you lose. Say good bye to him.””
I had to take a chance. I ducked below her barrage of punches and, moving in with my head down, I launched two hard punches to the woman’s tummy. She tried to counter but now I was within her reach, she was slow in adjusting to my closeness. I raised my knee, it hit her belly. She groaned. She staggered back. I kept in close, sending quick unanswered jabs to her body concentrating on her tummy. She tried to shove me back by pushing my shoulders.
I just knew she was weakening. I sent an uppercut to her chin. It hit, she reeled. I thought I had her and moved in, pummeling her sides. But this bitch was tough. She defended, not as well as she had but enough and she launched a roundhouse punch that hit the side of my head and made it ring.
I couldn’t afford to back off- to do so would let her recover and then restart the punching that had so damaged me. I tried to body slam her, to trip her by extending my leg behind hers. It half worked- she fell but she grabbed my waist and pulled me down with her. Again we rolled; again we punched, clawed, kicked and scratched at each other. I screamed; the bitch had gouged my eye. I rolled away –I hoped only temporarily and partly blinded
Her hands gripped my shoulder. I lashed out. My fist hit something hard, sharp –so sharp it bled. She screamed and broke off. Even with one eye working I could see her mouth was bleeding heavily- I had hit it and somehow driven a tooth through- or at least deep into her lip.
We were both hurt, but I wasn’t about to give in or offer terms. I’d lose Will, I’d lose cred. And I could see this woman felt the same. She got to her feet, one hand cupping her damaged mouth. I got half up; I ducked my head and rammed it into her tummy. I heard, no I felt, the air leave her lungs. She went flying back. I followed up with punches. Some- most perhaps- missed, it’s hard to punch accurately when one eye is half shut but those that hit damaged her. She fought back, we were too angry, tired and perhaps punch drunk to defend. We just stood and landed punches on each other. It couldn’t continue for more than a minute or so, and it didn’t.
She stumbled away. I came after her, right into her knee in my gut. I groaned, staggering back, cursing my half blindness, cursing the bitch who injured me, cursing myself for being here and for being so eager to fight. Again my dark side told me I was hopeless, stupid for not knowing any other way to cope with my problems than fighting. I told it shut up and I tried to concentrate on this woman who was yet again attacking me.
She stepped forward, she tried to keep her distance and plug me with punches. I tried to defend but all too many of her punches broke through. She hit my chest and upper body repeatedly. I didn’t land one. I was back where I had been minutes ago except now I was worn, gasping for breath; my body ached from her blows and from where I had hit the floor. I didn’t know how much longer I could fight. I told myself she must be the same; my dark side told me that I’d just fought a tougher and harder woman. I told it that it was wrong.
I lurched- yes that’s that right word, I could hardly see, I could hardly stand upright properly- forward. I seized the bitch’s shoulders and for once I used the fact that I was shorter to my advantage. I rocked my head back, then slammed it forward, head butting her.
She groaned, she staggered back, my hands sliding off her shoulders. I looked, her nose streamed blood, her mouth hung open. I attacked, low down with a tackle. She fell heavily. I straddled her and hissed “give slut!”
And a spectator broke the silence; “No one “gives” here bitch. You fight till the other chick can’t fight any more. That’s another part of the code”
I started to choke the woman beneath me, my fingers gripping her throat. She tried to fight back, she punched, she ripped at my face with her hands but I gripped hard. Soon, very soon, her struggles faltered, then ceased. She went limp.
I stood up.
I looked for Will, He half smiled, “Well you beat her. There are stronger women here”
“Yeah but I got some good practice tonight' I tried to make a joke of it. It fell flat.
Will went on as if I had not spoken. “She was right; you do have a lot to learn. You don’t talk to us guys when we are talking business. That’s part of the code.”
My inner voice sneered, “Practice, all you can think of is fighting. Do you think you can beat these women? Look around them they are tough. And you still have to learn the fucking code.”
My thanks to Pat and the Scribbler for help with editing. You're both great blokes
