Gonna Fly Now

Chapter Sixty-One - Final Bell

The last hour before it was time to leave for Madison Square Garden, Letty was in Bonnie's room. They were both sitting on her bed. Letty was mostly there to just watch her and be around her. She made her calm. Because she had to be calm around her. She didn't want Bonnie to see her anxious or freaked out. Not scared but nervous enough to wanna punch a wall. To sit in silence with her kid in her room as she put clothes on a doll was calming.

- Are you scared? She asked her.

- No.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at her.

- Not even a little?

Letty smiled and looked down.

- Would you be?

- If someone wanted to beat me up, I'd be scared.

Letty laughed.

- Well, if you're scared of something, do you know how to stop being scared?

- You do it anyway.

- Exactly.

Derek appeared in the doorway.

- We gotta go. He said.

Letty nodded. Mary and Jack was already there and they would watch her for tonight.

- Okay, give me a hug.

Bonnie moved over the bed and Letty brought her into a hug.

- I'll see you tomorrow.

In case she had to go to the hospital after the fight. And if not, she would be fast asleep when they came home.

≈

Outside the Garden, fans were crowded outside. They had put up a fence that built a path between the people. Jerry pulled open the car door and Letty got out of it. The crowded cheered and screamed at the sight of her. Those closest held out photographs or just blank paper pads with pens, wanting her to sign it. She signed for five different fans in the crowd. Others just held out their hands which she shook while passing them, barely seeing the faces of the person that the hands belonged to. One hand gripped onto her tighter, preventing her from walking. She turned her head towards the hand holding onto her, she followed the arm and then her eyes met a pair of sunglasses of the person. Before she could register whether it was a man or a woman, the hand let go and she could continue to the doors.

She dressed in her golden shorts where "CARTER" was spelt in the back. Black sports top. Her golden gloves was lying on the table in the room, next to her golden world champion belt. She had her black robe on and on the back of it read her name "IRON LETTY" and beneath it was the Texas flag. To show where she came from and she was proud of it.

The door opened and she looked over her shoulder, at Derek.

- Someone's here for you. He said.

She furrowed her brows. There was no one else coming. He opened the door further and Andy came inside.

- Hi-ya, champ.

She smiled and met him in a hug. She had missed him. They did make up before she left Texas, but they hadn't spoken like before. She had no idea he would come.

- What are you doing here?

She let him go.

- What, you thought your biggest fan wouldn't be here?

- How come you didn't come to Australia then?

- C'mon, that's like two days away.

She smiled and hit his arm.