004. Change

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Chapter Four

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Chapter Four

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

July 2018

The California sun shone on Maria's face as she walked home from the gym. She'd been in California for almost three months now and honestly she was starting to believe her parents were right. It had been a good change. After the incident at school before she left, Maria had wanted to get as far away from Minnesota as possible and California was that. Her new life was so different and Maria was glad. She didn't want any reminders of her old life.

She stepped into the cool air of the convenience store. Her parents always seemed to find houses with a shop on the same street. Not that she was complaining, and this shop was closer than the 7-11 was in Minnesota. She picked up a six pack of beer and a packet of peppermint flavoured gum.

"That all Mia?" the cashier questioned, he was a family friend. His dad was a boxer, he had trained Maria's dad until he got injured. The families had stayed close until Maria's family and moved to Minnesota and the Rodrigues' had moved to California. But they were reunited now, and even if they weren't as close, the familiar faces had been comforting to Maria when they moved. Infact Maria spent a lot of time at their house, more often than not Maria was sitting down at their table for dinner.

It wasn't the same as her parents but at least it was a family dinner. Even if it wasn't her direct family.

"Yeah that's all Jon" Maria smiled.

"You still coming for dinner?"

"Yeah, just let me drop these off home and I'll be there" Maria nodded at the beer. Jon tried to smile, he knew what Maria's dad was like without his beer. He knew what Maria's dad was like with beer. Neither was a good option.

Maria left the beer off at her house and walked to the Rodrigues' house. She could smell the spice and before she even enter the house.

"Aye! Mia's here" Tom Rodrigues, called as she entered. He was a big muscular man, he was a boxer after all. He was wearing a grey tank and and cargo shorts. A grey cap covering his balding head. Maria smiled, the Rodrigues' always welcomed her warmly. When she was younger she used to pretend they were her real family.

Tom put his arm around the girl, and patted her on the back. He knew her home life was hard. He'd known her parents for years and her father had become a sour man in the years since they'd first met. Maria was almost a fourth child to the Rodrigues family, they always welcomed her with open arms and never questioned when she came over at odd hours. They knew their house was an escape for the young girl.

"You hungry?" Tom looked down at the girl "We were just about to sit down to dinner" He pointed to the table where Julia Rodrigues was laying out plates of food.

"Im starving" Maria's mouth watered looking at the table, she'd never ate as good as she did before coming to California. "I was just coming home from the gym"

"The gym?" Tom raised an eyebrow "How's your leg?"

"I can't run yet, but i can kind of hop" Maria shrugged as she sat down at the table "It's progress anyways"

"That's the attitude Mia" Julia smiled, handing her a plate. She admired the girls ability to make the most of a bad situation.

"You know, I was thinking" Tom mumbled as he started eating "You could come down and scope out the new boxing gym, your dad was a good boxer so maybe it runs in the family." Maria had never even considered boxing before but the thought of it sounded exciting. "And-" he added "You wouldn't have to run, we can just skip over footwork for the time being and you could just train arms"

Maria's thoughts raced at the thought of doing boxing. She already played basketball but it wasn't like she could really play it at the moment and recently she had found that her heart just wasn't in the sport anymore. As much as she had loved it before, her injury had definitely changed her former opinions.

"I'll say it to your dad later" Tom resolved and Maria nodded. The family ate their food in silence for a moment, before Julia struck up a conversation with Jon about work. Maria didn't pay attention, Boxing? It sounded exciting. She remembered her dad telling her stories of his matches when she was younger. She never actually thought about doing it though. She wasn't a fighter, was she?

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Later in the evening, Tom dropped Maria home. As they walked up the steps to the porch Maria could smell the stink of beer radiating off her father.

"Tom?" her fathers eyes widened as he saw the big man step onto the porch.

"Hey man" Tom held out his hand for Maria's father to shake "You know I was talking to your daughter hear about her coming down to my gym sometime"

"No." Maria's dad shook his head "No daughter of mine will be a fighter. It's not ladylike"

"Dad-" Maria tried to plead with him, the thought of being a boxer had grown on her on the car ride home.

"No. That's final" Maria's dad said "Don't argue with me kid" He said pointing a finger at Maria.

Tom stepped in between the father and daughter as Jack Daniels stood up and went to raise his hand towards his child.

"Not now Jack" Tom said. "I'll bring Maria inside and say hello to Kathy"

"She's not home" Maria's father slurred. Maria sighed she knew her mom was probably in a bar somewhere on the other side of the city.

"Come on Maria, come inside" Tom urged her.

He pulled Maria to the side inside the door and whispered to her. "I know your dad said no, but I still want you to come okay? Just in case you ever need to..." He sighed "...protect yourself" He was worried about Maria. He had known her father since they were kids and it pained him to admit his childhood friend was dangerous, but it was true. The sooner she learned to defend herself the better.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

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