Chapter 8 OKTOBERFEST REPRISE
I'd had a good morning. I'd taken the Saturday clinic which was hectic but as always it was hectic in a good way. I didn’t have to do major surgery, didn't have to put down anyone’s favourite old dog or cat. I only had to deal with accidents, and minor ones at that. In a way it was like an emergency room at a hospital but less stressful and the patients weren’t as demanding.
I was looking forward to the evening. For the first time since that horrid night at David's house, I was going clubbing – and with a guy. I'd met Leo when I’d gone with Gemma to the Halloween party. That night he’d had to leave early, but not before he’d asked for my phone number. We'd kept in touch by texts and met a couple of times for coffee before David's party.
We'd met again, the Wednesday after that terrible night. He'd seen the bruises but I'd told him that I'd been kicked by a foal. It happens to vets from time to time, though I rarely dealt with horses in my suburban practice. Leo accepted the excuse with grace. He had asked me out on a date that Friday night. He seemed like a great guy and I was delighted when he invited me out.
As it turned out, my expectations were confirmed. He was a great guy. Tonight would be our fifth date. We didn’t see each other every week. I didn’t want to hurry anything. After all, I still had David texting and phoning me, though I was too confused, too hurt, too embarrassed to see him. I knew a lot of it was just wounded pride, but knowing it didn't help me to deal with it. Maybe, I'd told him, when I felt better we could be like we were before his party – good friends. I'd really only been interested in him after Andrew had gone off hunting instead of coming to the Halloween party. It had been a revenge thing – a childish thing.
That was the other reason I was taking my time with Leo – Andrew was back. Well, he was sometimes back. He'd heard a bit about the Halloween Party, enough to make him wish he'd been there and
almost enough to make him swear off hunting trips, at least with Lobsey. He'd heard about the fight at David's and had been very sympathetic and supportive. We'd had coffee a few times. We weren't dating again, but we were closer than we had been since he’d gone on that idiotic trip with Lobsey.
They were all sweet guys. I didn’t want to hurt any of them. Still, it was great to have three attractive, smart, educated men dancing attendance on me, and my ego needed some reinforcement after the debacle at David’s house.
Leo had invited me to a German themed bar that promised the traditional Oktoberfest entertainment. It certainly delivered. I was surprised by how much I liked the German brass music, though that might have been helped considerably by the good food and even better beer. I’d never drunk a lot of beer – a few Bud Lites on a hot summer day at a Cubs match was about my limit. I’d never known there was such a variety. I planned to sample all of them. It was ok since we were catching the L out of the city and then we’d take a cab.
I was having a great time – at least till Alice Stumn walked in.
I’d seen her from time to time, over the years. We had a few mutual friends and some common interests. The atmosphere between us had always been frosty though. She’d never forgiven me for pounding her till she begged me to stop, when we fought all those years ago in college. We’d clashed at the only Spring Break holiday I ever went to – at South Padre Island in Texas. We were young and stupid – as well as stupid drunk a lot of the time. We’d fought over a guy that neither of us really wanted, and whom I hadn’t seen since we finished college.
Alice was a friend of David’s though and – despite our history - I’d tried to be civil to her at his party. She hadn’t bothered to give me the same consideration. She’d been one of the whisperers who had fed Jane the lines that humiliated me. She’d been one of Jane’s cheer squad when Jane fought me. She’d been one of the throng that gloated openly and loudly after Jane thrashed me. Later, I thought that Alice may have been jealous, that maybe she liked David a lot more than David liked her.
That was sad. She had no reason to be jealous. The years had been kind to her. She was an attractive blonde, about my height– five feet six – and we were the same age – 27. She had a good job in some software engineering company- yes she was clever as well as good looking. She’d apparently settled down a little since we’d clashed in Texas. She certainly dressed better – less like a two-bit hooker.
Tonight, she had dressed for the occasion. Her curvy, though certainly not – yet at any rate- plump body was clothed in a tight black skirt and a typically Germanic, low cut white blouse that was laced together at the front with a black cord, and which pushed her lush breasts upwards and together, showing them off for all to admire. Under any other circumstances, the outfit would have been slutty but here, it was just a costume and an attractive one at that. Her high cheekbones and sparkling green eyes confirmed her Germanic ancestry. She looked gorgeous and all the guys– not to mention a few of the women – were ogling her from the moment she walked through the door.
I knew she had several admirers, but she’d never been happy with what – or who – she had. She always wanted something else. She was one of those people who had something to prove – mostly to herself.
“I’m surprised to see you here, Becca.” Her lip curled just a little – not quite a sneer but close enough. “I suppose you had to stop sulking some time. Just my luck you had to do it tonight.”
I reddened at her words. I couldn’t bear the thought of this being a repeat of David’s party, with Alice humiliating me like Jane had done.
“Alice,” I sighed, “stop it…please.”
“Stop it…please,” she mimicked in a little-girl voice. “Poor Becca, is that all you got to say? Jane certainly put you back in your box.” She smiled vindictively.
“Becca, what’s this all about?” Leo asked.
I shook my head. “Leo dear, you don’t want to know. You really don’t.”
“That’s for him to say…not you! Alice snapped. She turned to him. “Becca here was dating David Christensen…a mutual friend…just a few weeks ago. She helped him host a party.” I blushed at the thought of Leo hearing this, but Alice pushed on. “She was a complete bitch to one of the guests. Yes…you’re supposed to be nice to the other guests at a party but Becca…being Becca…apparently thought this woman was beneath her.”
“Shut up, Alice,” I interjected.
She ignored me. “This guest though, stood up to Becca’s bullying. They fought, and Becca ended up where she belonged - on her back, on the floor.” She looked at me with a cruel, satisfied smile.
“That’s not what happened! Don’t listen to her, Leo.” I hated that there was a begging tone in my voice. I turned to Alice, “Why are you butting in where you’re not wanted? Go away. Please. Now. Please.”
Alice stepped close. I flinched. I smelt beer on her breath. Like me, she had probably had a little too much to drink- too much to keep her inhibitions. She hissed softly at me, so softly that I doubt anyone else could hear her over the ‘oom pah pah’ of the band, “You might have won that day at South Padre and wound up with Wayne, but I promise you that
won’t happen tonight.” She pushed her face even closer to mine. “You’ve got two choices, Becca. Get lost now…run away with your tail between your legs…or I’ll pound you. The end will be the same - I’m taking your guy – but if you run now, you won’t get hurt so badly.”
I backed away. She followed. My back hit a partition between two booths. I had nowhere to retreat.
"Why should I go away? I came here to have some fun." Alice said a little more loudly. She turned slightly, keeping an eye on me but looking more at Leo. "You can see she's scared...no I'm wrong, aren't I. Shame on me Becca, I'm maligning you. You're terrified, so terrified you backed away; so terrified you are shivering. "
"I am not, don't believe her Leo. Please!"
She dropped her voice to a whisper again. "Last chance, either you go now or I'll rip you apart. I owe you that."
"There seems to be a serious disagreement between you two. I know the best way of resolving a disagreement." Leo smiled." Ladies, step outside to the beer garden."
My mouth gaped; I couldn't believe this was happening. Leo wanted us to fight. But it was true.
"Becc Babe, what are you waiting for? Alice you're ready aren't you?"
"Oh yes big boy." she stepped over and kissed him squarely on the lips. She ran her hands down his back. She broke the kiss. "That is if Becca can summon the courage… pity is I don't think she can. Jane broke her spirit."
"Damn it she did not! I hissed, storming out, my face burning with mingled rage and shame. I realised I had no alternative.
At the edge of the tables and chairs there was a clear patch of lawn. Leo cleared a bit more, moving chairs and tables and marking the edges of an impromptu ring with benches. A small crowd of men and women stood around, most with beer in their hand
Leo gave a signal and Alice came straight at me, swinging her left at my face, jabbing her right a little lower. I ducked and sidestepped, lashing out with my own fist. It thudded into her ribs hard.
"Is that all you've got?" Alice hissed. She turned much faster than I thought possible and landed a kick on my hip. I gasped. She pulled her right fist back. I swung my left hand up to block it when suddenly my head snapped to the side. She had hammered my face with her left fist. My head throbbed, my ears rang. I blinked. The crowd roared as I staggered. I lunged forward, wrapping my right arm around Alice's shoulders, pulling her into a clinch. I jabbed my left fist into her ribs again. After her punch I didn't think I could stand trading blows for much longer.
Alice grunted; she pushed me back towards the benches. I resisted, digging my heels into the grass and pushing forward. She raised her knee, slamming it into my side. I groaned. Releasing her body from the clinch I dropped back, steadied and fired a punch into her ribs, and another into her tummy. A spray of spittle burst from her mouth. I'd hurt her!
My joy was short lived. Alice hooked her right hand inside the waist band of my skirt and panties and yanked hard, pulling me towards her. “Ouch! I squealed in pain. Then "Ouff!” her left fist sank into my tummy. I gulped, half winded. She shoved me, still holding my panties waistband. The burning pain in my crotch was intense. I squealed again.
“You’ll squeal more and louder before I’d done with you Becc Babe” Alice sneered; she had remembered Leo’s pet name for me.
I clawed at her cheek, digging the fingernails of my left hand deep, scoring long furrows from which erupted beads of blood. Releasing my skirt and panties, she clutched at my hand and hissed, more I feared in rage than pain; nothing I did seemed to stop, or even slow Alice down. As if to prove it she slammed her fist into the bridge of my nose. I saw black, my head snapped back. The crowd erupted in cheers cat calls I staggered, almost losing my footing. I was blinking, blood flowed from my nose. I wondered whether it was broken.
Alice closed. Reflexively I kicked trying to make her keep her distance till I had at least a few seconds to recover. I was surprised to feel the kick hit home, I was amazed to hear her gasp and double up. My foot had hit her tummy. She had thought I was finished. She was wrong. Not completely, I didn’t have much left in the tank but I had enough to still do some damage.
“Take to her Becc Babe!”Leo cheered me on. I clung to that –the first encouragement I had from him or anyone else for that matter. I didn’t think then that it was his fault I was fighting at all; that he had set it up. That thought came later and was unfair; Alice was out for revenge, It wouldn’t have mattered what Leo did, she would have fought or shoved me aside. What I did think then was that he wanted me to win; I wanted to make him proud of me.
But just then there, half winded, blood running freely from my nose, aching in every joint, there was –even with the adrenaline rush, even with the high I got from fighting, the high I had first discovered all those years ago when I thrashed Alice so convincingly at South Padre, there was little I could do except pant and try to recover.
Alice stepped forward, I kicked, it had worked before I hoped it would work again. She sidestepped, my foot hit her thigh. She grunted but strode on regardless, her fists up. We exchanged a few punches; I landed one on her face and another on her chest that made her grunt and gasp but Alice had already shown punching was her strong suit. Her blows hit more often –and I feared harder than mine. In a few seconds she reduced me to defending mostly successfully but a few broke through. I knew she was pounding me into defeat. I couldn’t retreat; she had me almost against the table as it was. I lunged forward, wrapping my left arm around her, clinching again, but this time bringing my knee up to pound her gut.
She grunted, she grunted again as my right slammed into the left side of her face. She even staggered back. She must have thought that me clinching meant I was almost through. And she was right. I was. I needed to break her attack before she broke me. And so far I wasn’t doing it. I’m going to destroy you Becc Babe” she hissed. “You should have just gone when you had the chance.” She jabbed her fist towards my left armpit. Hastily I dropped my left arm defensively blocking the blow. She shoved hard, pushing her body against me, driving me back. That was what she had wanted to do with her jab-make me disengage the clinch. She wasn’t just outfighting me she was out thinking me.
She came forward with a hard jab at my face. I blocked it. But I didn’t block her belly blow. I groaned as her fist seemed to sink wrist deep into my gut. I doubled up and staggered back groaning.
She jabbed a left right combo at my head. Both hit, hard! The left hammered my cheek, the right hit my nose again. More blood burst from my nostrils. I coughed up blood, there was so much running from my nose that some had run back into my throat. My vision blurred as my eyes teared up. I raised my fists trying to keep hers away. She kicked hard, hammering my already battered gut
The crowd roared as I sank to my knees. They smelt blood, they smelt my imminent defeat. But I was too hurt, too winded to care. Alice was winning. “Becca, Becca, take it to her girl. Don’t just give in.” I heard Leo’s agonized shout. I wanted to do something, anything to win back his esteem. I battled for breath as Alice closed. She tried to grab my hair. I swung my head evading it. Then I swung it back and sharply forward. It struck Alice’s gut. She sighed as air rushed from her lungs. I swung my head once more, again it hit. She grunted; she staggered back, gasping, her mouth open in pain. I’d almost winded her! I stood up. Alice was still fighting to get air into her lungs. I kicked, using almost all my remaining strength. It hit her belly. It seemed to lift her into the air. She staggered back she hit a table.
And then the exhilaration the fighting madness kicked in. I felt I was channeling a Viking in a berserk rage- remembering the original meaning of that word. Alice moved forward, she had recovered somewhat though she was still panting for breath. I lowered my head, I charged at her- if perhaps 3 feet can be called a charge. But whatever it was too close for her to get out of my way. I hit her squarely between the boobs. She went down hard. She lay gasping for air; again I’d knocked the wind from her lungs.
I was going to finish her. One lucky head butt had turned the fight around but I knew if I didn’t seize the moment, she’d recover and I’d be history. I stomped on her tummy. And again. And a third time. Each time crushing her belly, crushing air from her lungs. Each time she groaned.
The third time she just rolled up into a ball.
“You’re finished Stumm don’t ever bother me again!”
I stumbled, still bleeding heavily from my nose, right into Leo’s arms. “Becc Babe, winner!” he kissed me. He hugged me. I’m getting you an icepack. Is your nose broken?”
A good thing about being a vet is you can usually tell what’s broken and what is just inflamed. I felt my nose. “No Leo, it isn’t. “He got an icepack, he got some bandages and began some first aid treatment. It took a while and all the while Leo told me how great I was. It was just what I needed to stroke my ego.
My great thanks to The Scribbler and to Elena and to all the other friends who encourage me in these stories. 
