The Diaz Brothers

Epilogue

My mom and dad are the most renowned fighters in the UFC and my moms best friend is her biggest rival. As their only son, everyone knew I would fight. I'm fifteen years old and my parents are getting close to having to retire. After all, how many fighters do you know that are still in the ring at 42 and 43? Mom was the real reason I started fighting. She told me one time that anything can happen in life, you just have to know how to roll with the punches. Of course, her middle Tennessee twang made it sound like lyrics from some old country song. Mom was always sort of my favorite. She grew up being treated like dirt and she still followed her own path. My real grandfather, Raymond McCarty, was a terrible person and if he wasn't in prison I would probably kill him. My mom and Ryan had tried their hardest to make me like dad, but failed. He's always been more open and accepting. Mom trusts no one until she does a full background check. And when mom doesn't trust someone, none of us do. Her instinct about people is always spot on. She always says its just luck but I know she has a special connection to the elders. Dad tells me that when she was young, mom was a flight risk. She didn't stay anywhere long. It was something that came from being kicked out of your own house and beaten and starved by your own father. I can't imagine if dad treated me like that. Not that she'd ever let him. She'd pack me up and leave in a heartbeat.

When bear died, it was the worst day for her and for me. That dog had been there for my entire life. He was three years old when I was born and he lived until I was thirteen. Mom didn't come out of her loft for two days. We had to force feed her because if we hadn't she may have died up there. She got drunk the third day and it lasted until the week was over. She made herself sick when it happened. Dad got her a new puppy but it wasn't her Bear. He had been with her through everything. He was her service dog. She relied on him. He taught me to walk, at least that's what I'm told. Pacey and Whiskey are still alive but they're both old. Smokey lives with Ryan and Lane next door.

Ryan married Sarah when I was three. I was in the wedding. Mom was Ryan's best man. Dad was Sarah's maid of honor. That didn't make her best friend too happy. In fact, when Carlos married her and mom was his second groomsman next to Ryan, she told him that dad wasn't allowed to be involved with the wedding and he had to sit in the non family section. This made mom really mad and Carlos had to beg her to still be in it. In the end, mom and dad were his groomsmen. Dad was his best man even. That was only because Ryan had gotten sick. Mom was sick the next day.

In the gym, mom teaches girls self defense and she gives a lot of defense workshops at schools. Jaylynn and Mike actually co-manage me now. Dad runs a few levels of classes and helps mom with the seminars. So far, I've been undefeated just like mom and dad. They're proud of me, and they show it off every single day. Moms shop is the most high traffic auto shop in town and her salon gets more business than anywhere else. Men don't mind having a woman fix their car when that woman looks like mom and has her rep. I love my life and I wouldn't change a single thing. My family is the greatest one of them all.

- Mason James Cardenas, Jr.