METANOIA

THE CLUB

Nick turned to the girls and pointed at Pete as he spoke.

"This guy was in Jersey last week. Three days ago, he gave me a call one morning all like, 'Oooh I am gonna go to New York with the boys blah, blah, blah,' so I had to drive all the way here with Caren by myself."

The girls laughed at the boys.

Pete smiled apologetically, but was happy to see Nick and didn't comment. The odd night in New York and the conversation on the flight made him appreciate Nick slightly more. When the lightning struck, all he could think about was Nick. Even though there were cracks in their relationship, he knew he could trust Nick to be there when he needed him.

Nick turned to the two other guys. "I am especially glad to see you two."

Misha had the broadest grin on his baby face again, so he reached out and pinched his cheek. "Look at this guy; he only gets cuter as the years pass by."

Misha is pretending to be coy and played along. "Oh, stop it, you are making me blush," he joked.

Now the extended group was complete, and they were excited about what they would be doing over the next two days. As they all raised their cans and toasted, someone from behind them says, "Well, hello, hello."

This was the first of the many visitors that turned up that night. Everyone knew the voice; it was the sort of voice that sent shivers down anybody's spine. The sort of voice that felt like nails on a chalkboard. Corwin, a close mutual friend of the entire group, walked toward them. He was the man who had set up an underground boxing club with Silas and Misha. It was much in light of the Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk; well, minus the most fundamental first two rules.

There is an interesting side effect of martial arts. As you get deeper into them, you begin to pay more attention to body language in your daily life. You look at people's posture, the way they walk, the way their hands move while talking, where their eyes are or their focus, how their weight is distributed. You learn to calculate their center of gravity, look for signs of weakness, injuries, quirks, and even limitations of movement all become vital information that could change the outcome of a match...or save your life.

Because of this, Corwin was exceptionally sharp and had a keen eye for human interactions. He had been practicing martial arts for over twenty years, and by every description of the word, he was deadly. Always alert, he read people's body language like an open book. In part because of his observational skills, he had become an incredible artist. He was the one who had designed Anda's tattoo.

The fighting ring is an unforgiving place that reveals a person's essence. These guys had seen each other fight, which was a bonding experience for them. Silas tended to be more defensive in the ring and tried to dodge punches rather than deliver them until he closed in on his opponent. Misha, on the other hand, became more aggressive and eager in the ring. To him, it was an arena in which to display his prowess and overcome his obstacles. Pete had never ever stepped in the ring with the guys, despite their many attempts to lure him there, and they were pretty sure he never would.

Now, if you thought only the guys fought, that would be presumptuous... In fact, a lot of women had partaken in the ring with the men. Anda was captivating behind a knife and charged forth like a train. She preferred to focus on one area tightly and attack it repeatedly to wear out her opponent. However, she was occasionally completely thrown off if something happened that was not by the book. She was, in many ways, more adept than the men. Lisa, on the other hand, was a jabber. She tended to throw punches rather than get into a cinch, but for the most part, she found the whole thing stupid. The few times she did try and learn grappling were unsuccessful because she couldn't stop laughing. Ironically, this proved to be a very effective way to defend herself because her laughter was super-contagious. And Nick, well, he had the toughest fight of them all as he was trying to raise Caren at the time, so he never really had time to step in the ring, not that he ever would have anyway, despite his imposing stature.