Bell to Bell: A Boxing Story

CHAPTER ONE

The feel of the wind off of the gloves as they flew over Gabe's head just reminded him of the thrill of boxing. Dodge after dodge, swerve after swerve, counter after counter. The impact of gloves on bodies and the sweat dripping off foreheads is what keeps Gabe's head straight.

It's the final round in the Golden Eagle Amateur Boxing Tournament qualifiers. One minute left on the clock. Gabe has tried everything to put Michael Brown down, but he just can't seem to do it.

"A hook by Brown, ducked, and countered by Gabe. Jab, hook, jab, left jab, body shot. A combination by Gabe stumbles Brown. Left hook, right hook, haymaker, left uppercut! Brown is down. 1! 2! 3! 4! 5! 6! 7! 8! BROWN IS UP!! 20 seconds left. A hook by Brown, again ducked by Gabe. Uppercut by Gabe, again Brown goes down. 1! 2! 3! 4! 5! 6! 7! 8! THAT'S THE BELL!!"

The ringing of the bell before the 10-count ran through Gabe's head. He was being pummeled in the first two rounds with the third and final round being his best, he feels he may lose by decision.

"The judges have scored this bout 37 - 36. AND THE WINNER BY DECISION AND QUALIFIER FOR THE GOLDEN EAGLE TOURNAMENT... GABE CALLOWAY!!!

The echo of his name rang through his head. The shock of hearing his name left him speechless.

The ref grabbed his hand and raised it, the roar of the crowd was deafening.

After the fight, Gabe met Michael in the locker rooms.

"Hey, man, great fight. Honestly, I'm surprised I got the victory, you were rocking me for two straight rounds."

"You too, man. You deserved that win, that comeback you made was great. I don't even know how i kept getting up."

"If it was that hard just qualifying for the tournament, can't imagine how hard winning it will be."

"I think you got this man. Give him hell. And hey, after you win I want a rematch. Got it?"

"Got it. Hey, good luck out there man."

"You too, brother."

Gabe walked outside to wait for his ride. The cold air burned his cuts and bruises. The sky was black and grey. The clouds hid the moon away.

Gabe heard a rumble of thunder, not too far off. A light sprinkle turned into a downpour as Gabe looked at his watch.

"It's midnight man, she was supposed to be here an hour ago. Guess I'm walking."

Gabe walked 6 miles to his home, soaking wet and bleeding. It was almost 2 A.M when he got there. He turned the knob to find it locked.

"HEY! OPEN UP!"He banged on the door. "Come on man, it's freezing out here, and I'm soaked."

He heard movement inside the house. In a few minutes, the door opened and Gabe went inside.

"Where were you?"

"I had a big fight tonight, don't you remember?"

"A fight?"

"Yeah, a fight. A tournament fight actually, and you were supposed to pick me up at 11. Do you know what time it is."

"I don't know, about two?"

"Yeah, two. That's 3 hours later. I had to walk 6 miles, in the dark and soaking wet."

"Ok, I'm sorry. I forgot."

"It's not the first time, either. I'm gonna shower and go to bed."

Gabe walked away from his mother towards his room.

"What did you mean by it's not the first time?"

"You always forget to pick me up from a fight. For the past 6 fights, I've had to walk home from 5 of them. You never remember when my fights are, but you do remember when I get paid."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you only care about the money. You don't care about whether I win or lose a fight, hell, you barely even care about why I started fighting in the first place."

"I do care about if you win or lose."

"Yeah. Because you know if I win, that's just more money for YOU to spend!"

"Oh! There you go, always making it seem like I'm the bad guy.!"

"Because you are the bad guy! All my fights, all my bruises and cuts, and every cent I make is for this family! But do I even get a 'Thank you', or a 'I'm proud of you, son'? No! All I ever get in return is an empty stomach and 6 mile walk. And that's all you. Every cent I slave myself over is for us to be able to live in this piece of shit house!"

"Oh, please! It's always someone else's fault isn't it? Maybe, you just can't stand the fact that no matter what you do, you'll always be like your father!"

"DO NOT EVER TALK ABOUT MY FATHER! HE MAY HAVE BEEN A PIECE OF SHIT MAN, BUT HE WAS MORE OF A PARENT TO ME THAN YOU WILL EVER BE! HE FOUGHT NAIL AND TOOTH FOR YOU AND ME!"

"Your father was a criminal! All he did was cheat people out of thousands of dollars and labeled it as 'Honest business'. He took dives in every championship fight he ever received just for a few extra hundred dollars!"

"Is that what you think I'm doing? Throwing fights? Taking dives? I just won the hardest fight in my career, just for a chance to be in a tournament. Even if I win, there is no guarantee I will get a title shot! If I knew there was no chance of me winning this tournament, I still would try my damnedest to win! I don't care about the money, the titles, or the recognition. I'm doing this to prove to me that I can be like him. Doing whatever I can to provide. That's exactly what he did."

"And look where that got him! Fighting for all the right reasons, just doing it the wrong way. Look where he ended up. Dead, on the side of the road. Shot and tossed to the side like a dirty animal! You're are turning out just like him, and you'll end up like him too!"

"I'd rather die being like my father than live knowing I could never live up to his name!"

Gabe walked out the door into the pouring rain and pitch black darkness. He could hear his mother yelling his name behind him. He ran away from her voice into the darkness.