On The Ropes

Round 14

Tyreek's POV

"Not for you." Quan spoke as he reached over me and grabbed the glass I was reaching for. "Last thing you need is hard liquor." He muttered as he sipped from the glass.

For once, he wasn't actually here to force me to be active. He was here to 'hang out'—In other words, Auntie came over to do something important, and she made Quan come with her.

"I'm a grown ass man, Quan." I muttered when he took the glass. "And that's my liquor."

"And I said you ain't havin' none." He said, a tone of finality in his voice as he sat across from me.

We were sitting in the backyard together. He said I needed the sunlight, and I didn't really have much of a choice, so I came out with him while Auntie, Dre and Antwon did whatever the hell they were doing in the house.

I flashed Quan a look, but he just looked right back at me—Giving me one of those stern dad stares until I looked away.

He may have been irritating me lately, but that's still my dad at the end of the day... Technically. "Dre told me you got an appointment tomorrow mornin'." He started after taking another drink from his glass. "Just a check up, right?"

I nodded my head and stared down at the glass circular table separating us. "Yeah. They gon' scan my brain or whatever... See if I'm doin' better and healin' right."

"Your seizures have been less frequent." He pointed out like everyone else has. "That's a good sign."

Less frequent, but still present. They still disrupt my day to day life.

Dre bought me a shower chair because I can't be trusted to shower alone while standing without seizing and hitting my damn head again. I can't eat without potentially seizing, I can't cook—Not that Dre ever let me the first place. I'm not trusted with lifting weights yet.

Yeah, they're less frequent. But it isn't better. I still can't do anything.

Still useless.

I let out a quiet sigh and watched Quan as he stared out at our yard. I could tell he was deep in thought, and I wanted nothing more than to ask what was on his mind—But I know he won't tell me. No one will speak their minds with me until I'm 'better'.

But what if I never am better? Will they still not talk to me? Will they still walk on eggshells around me?

"I can feel you starin' at me." Quan muttered, pulling me from my thoughts. He was still staring across the yard, but he turned to look at me after he spoke. "What's on your mind?"

I'm trying to figure out what's on your mind, I thought as I stared at him. Instead of voicing the thought, I sighed and shrugged my shoulders as I decided to bring up a different topic. "Why didn't you fight harder to get back to boxing?" I asked quietly.

His face shifted slightly, a frown settling on his face as he looked away from me again.

Again, I could tell he was lost in thought. Thinking about something from long before I was in his life.

After thinking for a moment, he let out a deep breath and shook his head. "I had to accept the truth... Did I want to retire? Hell no. I wasn't even thirty yet. I knew I had at least another decade in the ring left in me... But I had to accept that though I could theoretically get back in the ring, I'd be putting my health at risk..." He put his leg out, stretching it a bit before continuing. "I still got my leg. It's still functional... Had I continued boxing despite the injury? I probably wouldn't be walking right now."

His answer, though logical, just made my frown deepen.

Just give up. That's the moral of the story. "Did you even try to fight for it?" I asked as I turned to look at him with heat behind my eyes.