"Mum?"
"In here."
I step into her bedroom and playfully hold up the carton of eggs. Her graceful laughter sounds through the apartment, making me smile.
"You're so sweet." She kisses my cheek.
"I've got some news."
"What is it, love?" She asks, walking into the kitchen as I follow.
"I have a fight tonight." I say but she doesn't say anything. "Mum, this fight is worth a lot of money. Enough to help us start saving to get out of here and get a new flat."
"Harry, I know you're trying to get us out of here but you're going to get yourself killed doing this." She says and I walk up to her.
"I won't." I smile at her. "I won't."
She looks at me and shakes her head. "What has gotten into you lately?"
I laugh at her concern. "I've got an agent."
"An agent?"
"Someone who can offer us a better life, mum. And she's great." I say. "Her name's Faye and she's the one who gave me this opportunity. Her agency is giving us a better opportunity."
"Why you?"
I look at the ground and back at her. Should I tell her the truth? I have never lied to my mother so why would I now? She's the only one who knows him.
"My father was a professional." I say. "The agency that wants me, had him. He was their most famous client."
"What?" She shakes her head, walking away from me. I've asked my mother many times about my father when I was younger but she never gave anything up so I gave up, only because it made her seem upset every time I asked. I started to think that maybe I should give up fighting if she didn't like it but I couldn't. Even now I can't, not when I have a perfectly good chance in making everything right.
"Mum." I start speaking again. "I know you don't like what I'm doing. I know you knew about him and you never wanted to speak to me about him but I'm old enough to know. I just learned that I have this ability from him. I have so much from my father that I never even knew I had." I stop as I watch her face. She's not looking at me.
"He's dying." I say and now she's looking at me. Straight into my eyes and when I look into hers, I can see the pain and sorrow. "He has some incurable cancer in his lungs."
Her hand raises to her chest as she leans against the wall. I grab her arm, holding her up, a look of shock washing the pink from her cheeks.
"Mum, I want to see him." I say as a tear slips from her eye and I reach out to wipe it away. "I need to."
She breathes deeply and wraps her arms around me. "I love you so much, Harry." She says and I smile softly against her head, whispering my love for her.
~••~
The diner has been busy lately but I have to leave early for the fight. I catch sight of Faye's car through the diners windows before I pull my apron off and exit the kitchen. My heart pumps with excitement but there are nerves as well.
"Good luck tonight, Harry." Phil, my boss, yells from the back of the diner.
"Thanks, Phil." I yell back before I burst out into the cool night. I cross the busy street and enter the car.
"How're you feeling?" She asks as soon as I get in. As soon as she asks the question, I feel the nerves rush to me. I lean my head back and squeeze my eyes shut. After this whole time, thinking about the fight, it's hitting me now that this fight is my first real fight.
"Nervous." I say and she chuckles.
"Come on. It's not like this is your first fight." She pulls off and I breathe a laugh.
"It is."
"No way." She says. "Are you ready?"
"Can you not ask so many questions?" I ask, rolling the window down.
"Alright. I can do that. No more questions. Eas-"
"Faye."
"Sorry." She clears her throat. I look to her, her hands gripping the steering wheel and her eyes wide on the road. The brake lights from the car ahead is us shine on her face.
"Are you nervous for me?" I ask, smiling at her.
"Nervous? For you? No." She chuckles, her smile wide and I shake my head.
"Yes you are." I say as I stare out at the buildings passing by.
"I have Rider's file, if you want to see it?" She asks, glancing at me before returning her attention to the road.
I take a deep breath. "I'd rather not." I shake my head.
"Are you sure?"
"Faye."
"I'm sorry." She breathes, rolling down her window. The busy sounds of New York City spill into the car; horns honking, people yelling, and brakes squeaking.
As we get closer to the arena, my heart beat seems to grow louder in my ears and my palms feel as if I've dipped them in water. I turn the radio up to drown out my thoughts, Faye's on me worriedly before looking to the road again. We sit in silence, the only sound coining from the streets outside, the radio, and the thoughts in my head yelling at me.
~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~
It'll get more exciting. I promise.
