It was a quiet morning in the urban city of North Point, Nevada. Daily traffic was back up for several blocks due to road work, flyers for Vegas flapped in the warm desert air, and in the center of it was the pride and joy of the people: The Dome.
North Point was not known for much, but they prided themselves at having seasoned and well trained competitors for the MMA. Amongst those prizes fighters was a lone individual in the heat of training the a rematch .
“Focus, I have to focus,” Donnie Lucas kept telling himself as he continued to throw punches at the bag of the city’s local gym. With sweat dripping down his face, his mind kept racing back to the night that almost destroyed his career.
Each strike in his mind was another chance at redemption. He was no, ‘wash out’. He was a champ and he was determined to prove that the belt belonged to him. “There’s nothing wrong with me!” He grunted to himself in between shots to the bag as the rubber vibrated and the chain rattled.
After five minutes of continuous strikes, he collapsed on a bench and squirted his water bottle over his head. Every drop he watched fall to the ground, continued to bring him back to that night.
At the peak of his career, he was climbing to the top of the ranks…then one sudden misstep sent him straight to the floor of the ring with ceiling lights spinning and a never ending ringing in his ears. When everything settled, someone else was wearing the belt while he was barely able to hold up his head.
In the midst of his thoughts, an open hand smacked him in the back of the head. He shot from his seat and turned with a fist in the air as he forced himself to stop. “L…Lisa? What are you doing here?”
Lisa Bryant stood there with her athletic frame and 5’5” stature, crossing her arms and glaring at him. “Well don’t you look like you’re fresh out of the one hit KO support group.”
He began to speak before he kept his opinion to himself and returned to the bag. He knew better than to try and start an argument with her. It always ended badly and he usually would say something he would regret.
Weeks before he fell out of MMA tournaments, they were dating on and off for several months. The last time he saw her was that fateful night. A glimpse of concern or possibly pity, and that was all he could bare before he walked off.
She huffed as she sat on the bench to watch. “Really? No snide remarks? No witty replies? You fell off the face of the earth and ghosted everyone. Believe it or not, most of us were worried about you.”
“I’m fine,” He grunted as his punches turned to kicks. His mind was zoning into a fight with someone and he wasn’t holding anything back.
“I guess you won’t mind if I sit and watch you go at it with Jason David Frank or whoever is trying to snap your neck.”
He paused for a moment as he looked over his shoulders. “If that’s what you want to do…”
She slammed a hand on the bench and shoved her foot into the backs of his legs, forcing him to the ground. “Stop being so passive aggressive and just be…normal aggressive!”
He growled as he stood to his feet. “What do you want from me!?”
“Oh, I don’t know. How about the man I cared about coming up from under the water he’s drowning himself in for a bit? The Donnie I knew wouldn’t let some half wit like Jake Riley keep him down.”
His eyebrows furrowed at the mention of that name as he saw Jake’s crooked smile in his mind. He pictured his misshapen face from repeatedly getting a broken nose from not taking his opponents seriously. He was cocky and arrogant. Losing to him wasn’t just pathetic, it was inexcusable.
He punched his hand as he returned to the bag and struck even harder, almost to the point of his knuckles bleeding. Lisa was done with his fit as she opened her bag and strapped on her training gloves.
While he was distracted, she pulled her leg back and prepared to swing for his head. Her foot nearly connected until he caught it at the last second. “So, we’re doing this now?” He asked with an almost smile.
She scoffed as she bent her knees to close the distance between them and knocked him in the face with her fist. He stumbled back as she took another stance. “Either now or in a ring, but I am knocking some sense back into your hard head. So, Tiger, which is it going to be? Claws or be declawed?”
He couldn’t help but chuckle. Lisa was good for her animal quips to get a rise out of her opponents. “If only your fighting was as good as your pep talks. I might actually be worried about having you as an opponent.”
Before he had a chance to wait for her to respond, she quickly grabbed his head and shoved her knee in his face. While he was disoriented, she swung her legs under him and landed him flat on his back.
As his head bounced on the matted floor. She pressed her knees into his arms to keep him still. “Do I have your attention yet? Or are you looking for a rematch?”
With blurred vision, he caught a glimpse of her hazelnut colored eyes and her dirty blonde hair hanging in a ponytail behind her. He was furious with Jake, but something about her being near him put everything back into perspective.
He felt his muscles relax, but his heart picked up pace. It was no wonder he fell for her, but it was moments like this he wondered why he never took her more seriously. “Would…would you…” He began to ask, trying to catch his breath.
“What? Get off of you? Not happening.”
He let out a weak laugh as his breathing slowed down. “Hard to…ask you out if…I’m stuck down here.”
She gave him a confused look as she helped him up. “You’re having an existential crisis and you are asking me on a date?”
Donnie couldn’t help but laugh as he slowly got his breath back. “My coach did tell me I’d be an idiot to let you walk away without a chance to fight for your attention.”
She let a grin escape as she put a hand on his shoulder. “Is that so? Well, promise me you’re done with this pity party, and that you’ll come back to the dome. If you can handle that, I will allow you to take me out for Chinese.”
“King’s Palace at West and Main?” She nodded as their eyes met. He smiled and put his hand on her hips. “You drive a hard bargain, but I believe I have no choice but to accept your terms.”
“Shall we shake on it?”
A wicked grin escaped his face as he put a hand on her face. “I think I have a better idea,” He declared as he closed the gap between them and kissed her gently on the lips. She held his head as they stayed in that moment and let the world around them vanish.
“Just don’t go thinking you got the best of me just now,” He said teasingly. “I let you take me down.”
She laughed with a gasp as thin breaths as her mouth hung open. “Excuse you! Round two here and now, sore loser!” She shot back swinging at him playfully.
He laughed as he held her hand and slowly started to feel healed inside. She looked back as her face shifted with concern in her eyes. “All jokes aside, are you good?”
He nodded softly. “I will be now. Though, to be honest, I don’t even know what really happened. One minute the match starts, the crowd is cheering, and my gloves are being strapped on. The bell rang and then…I’m on the ground with the room spinning.”
She smiled and led him to the bench to sit. “That’s part of why I tried to find you. Rumor has it that he was bragging to his buddies about slipping something into your water bottle before the match and that’s why you fell flat on your face soon after the match got started. The referee for that match has been under scrutiny since that night for calling the match prematurely.
“I also hear that Jake will be one of the competitors tonight if you are looking to settle the score. He assumes you quit. I think…you should prove him wrong.”
He gripped his knees and took a deep breath as he stood and looked out the window. Across the street was the dome all the local competitors trained and fought in. The signs were clear and his path was set before him.
“So, time to show my claws?”
She grinned and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s open season and I think the crowd is waiting to see him fall.”
Donnie smiled as he turned to hold her tight. “Have I ever told you how amazing you are?”
She shrugged as she laid her head against him. “You could stand to say it more often.”
They shared a laugh and more passionate kiss as they grabbed their bags and walked towards the dome. Donnie didn’t know what was going t o happen tonight, but one thing was clear: it’s fight night in the Ring of Redemption.
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