by Jack Tunney
They fought in the backroom of an afterhours club on DeKalb Avenue. Unlike a lot of backrooms, this one had a makeshift ring. Not regulation at all. But then again, nobody wanted to see a regulation fight. That was not what they were here for. Levi got out of the way of a looping right cross with an almost dainty ease and the mob surrounding the ring yelled. They might have been glad Levi got out of the way, but it was more likely they were disappointed.
Levi stayed on his toes, getting out of the way of Shock’s straight punches, relying on his agility to keep him out of range of those long arms while delivering double jabs of his own.
Shock plainly liked to be the aggressor, moving in and catching Levi a good one right under the heart. Levi continued moving backwards, continued throwing light double jabs and then suddenly stopped, planting his feet and delivering two solid left-right jabs that made Shock back up, blinking in surprise. Unlike the previous punches, these jabs hurt.
“Get in there an’ fight!” Somebody howled and the rest of the crowd added their profane agreement. Shock came in again, slamming his fists into Levi’s ribs. Levi pulled his elbows into his sides and clinched, letting himself fall back against the ropes.
Bendigo Cribb immediately jammed his muscular, meaty arms in between them. “C’mon, boys, break it up, break it up.”
They broke cleanly. Shock tried a lunging jab that missed, following it up with a roundhouse right, which Levi ducked under, drawing screams of delight from the crowd. Backs were slapped. Money changed hands. A pair of purple panties were thrown into the ring which added to the profane merriment.
Levi sent a series of solid left jabs Shock’s way. Shock didn’t like it. His perfectly round eyes never left Levi’s calm, unreadable face that showed no more emotion than a brick wall. One of Bendigo’s people whacked the bell to signal the end of the round and Shock suddenly went berserk, slamming his shoulder into Levi’s chest, pounding his ribs with both hands, muttering curses under his breath.
Bendigo got in there once again, pulling Shock off of Levi, yelling, “Gowan! Git ta yer corner! Git, I says!”
Shock stalked to his corner, kicking his stool aside, refusing to sit down. His corner man worked on his cuts and bruises while he stood glaring hate at Levi, who smiled back as though he and Shock were best friends.
“How you feel?” Nappy’s voice was right in Levi’s ear, which was the only way Levi would be able to hear him, so loud was the screaming and yelling of the half-drunken crowd who were about ready for their taste of blood.
“Good, good. That boy don’t waste no time losin’ his temper, do he?” Levi pursued his lips, blowing a kiss across the ring. Shock spat in Levi’s direction. Levi grinned back.
“Don’t you go makin’ him crazy, now,” Nappy warned. “You want him mad enough to be stupid and forget how to fight, but not so mad he wants to kill you, hear?”
The bell rang again. Levi came out of his corner, straight at Shock. He threw several jabs at Shock’s chin, taking the other fighter by surprise. The man hadn’t expected Levi to come right at him, all full of fire.
“Dancer! Dancer! Dancer!” The crowd bellowed as Levi circled to Shock’s left, seeming to glide backward as he did. Levi blocked Shock’s jabs. They stung, but Shock wasn’t following up and going in after them. He had obviously decided to lay back a bit.
However, when Shock’s big punch came, it came straight and fast. Levi let the punch slip and came in with a flurry of rights targeting ribs. Shock recovered quick and slung a hook just below Levi’s left ear.
Levi stumbled back, but stayed on his feet. That had been a pretty good shot, made Levi see bright flashes in front of his eyes. He continued to jab, keeping Shock back.
And then Levi saw something out of the corner of his eye he couldn’t believe. And he paid for it when Shock let him have a haymaker that ended up right in the pit of Levi’s stomach. Levi covered up his face and head as best he could as Shock came at him, seemingly having grown another four or five arms in five seconds. Shock went to work on Levi’s mid-section, a wide grin on his face. “You not dancin’ so pretty now, is you?”
Indeed, Levi was not dancing at all. His sole concern was staying on his feet long enough to survive the round. Shock’s sledgehammer fists banged away at his ribs as Levi kept covered up, the screaming of the crowd seeming to get louder, but not as loud as the intimate grunting of Shock Bronson in his ears.
And then the bell rang.
Levi staggered away to his corner. He fell onto his stool and glared up at Nappy. “Hey, man, you know that girl’s here?”
“That Dorothea chick? Yeah, I knew was here. She asked me to get her in.”
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me she’d be here?”
“Because your mind is supposed to be on the fight, not tail!”
“And you didn’t think me seein’ her in the crowd alla sudden would throw me off? Nappy, if we wasn’t friends I would think you an’ Duke ...” And then Levi stopped when he saw the look in Nappy’s eyes and realized he was about to step way over a line he didn’t want to cross. Napoleon Johnson had done some pretty underhanded stuff in his day. But backstabbing a friend wasn’t one of them. And Levi damn well knew that.
“Hey, man, forget it. I ...”
“Shut your mouth. We got us a fight to win. We can argue afterwards. Let me work on that swelling a bit. Then you get back in there and kick his ass. He’s mean, sure. And he’s tough as old shoe leather. But he don’t think. And that’s how you beat him, man. You think. And you use your skills! He wants ta get rough? Then make sure he pays the cost! Now git in there!”
The bell rang again and Levi came up off his stool, looking at the grinning Shock Bronson through the thick haze of grayish smoke courtesy of the numerous cigarettes and cigars being smoked.
An empty liquor bottle flew at Levi’s head and he ducked to one side. It went on by, smashed on the floor outside the ring. “Fight, now! I got five hundred bucks on your black ass!”
Levi went at Shock as hard as he knew how, just trying to batter through the man’s defense. Shock backed up, letting Levi throw everything at him, figuring Levi would soon exhaust himself. However, that was exactly what Levi wanted him to think.
Levi abruptly circled, once again demonstrating the nimble footwork that had earned his name. Shock, taken off balance, tried to get some distance between them until he knew what was what and that’s when Levi caught him with a roundhouse right.
Levi followed it up by pounding lefts and rights into Shock’s midsection. Shock tried to tie Levi up, but Levi shoved him away and sent a sizzling right into Shock’s jaw with speed and precision.
Shock’s head snapped around and he stumbled to the side. He shook it off, snarling in rage as he waded back in. They stood toe-to-toe, trading blows with savage intensity, the tape on their hands turning red as Levi and Shock banged away at each other. Shock yelled through bloody teeth, “C’mon! C’mon!” Shock forgot all about fighting and simply lost himself in his rage to batter Levi to death with his fists.
And that’s when Levi stepped in and made Shock pay.
The uppercut lifted Shock a full three inches up off his feet. He crashed to the canvas. Shock wasn’t out of it, but he was so close as to make no difference.
Bendigo ambled over to Shock and bent down. After five seconds of examination he straightened up and waved his arms, signaling the fight was over. The room exploded into pandemonium as men and women screeched for joy at the amount of money they’d won or cursed at the loss of same.
From where he sat, Duke Williamson nodded at the heavily breathing Levi who stood over his defeated fighter, looking at Duke with open defiance. Deathblow stood just behind his boss, glaring at Levi with equal defiance.
Levi turned away and looked for Dorothea in the crowd and saw she was smiling. Levi strode back to his corner, held out his hands to Nappy. “Get this damn tape off of me then you and Dorothea got some explainin’ to do.”
ROUND EIGHT
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to the fight? I just saw you last night.” Levi demanded. He had found a secluded corner where he corralled both Dorothea and Nappy side by side. He glared at the both of them. “I don’t like it when my friends play games with me.”
“What games? I wanted to see the fight, so I asked Mr. Johnson to get me in, that’s all.” Dorothea’s voice may have been serious, but there was a twinkle in her eye that was at the same time so cute and so infuriating. Levi didn’t know whether to kiss her or give her a clout upside the head. “I’ve heard so much about the great Dancer, I wanted to see you fight. What’s so bad about that?”
“Nothing! I don’t like surprises is all. Nappy, I wish you’d told me ...”
“Now don’t go blaming Mr. Johnson. I made him promise not to tell. I wanted to see how you fight, not have you showing off for me, or worse yet, not fighting how you usually fight.” Dorothea paused for a few seconds before continuing. “You’re an awfully private man, Levi Kimbro. This is a side of you I wanted to see without you trying to hide it or soften it for me. If we’re going to be … friends then you have to show me what your life is like, and this is part of your life. Maybe a bigger part than you want yourself to believe.”
“That’s the same reason she gave me for wanting to come see you fight, Levi. You ask me, the girl’s got more sense than you do.” Nappy grinned.
“You go on and get outta here before I remember I’m supposed to be mad at you.” Levi gently punched the older man in the arm. “And thanks.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll see you in the morning.” Nappy left them to find himself a drink and Levi finished buttoning his shirt.
“So, you want to know all about me, do you?” Levi asked. “Can I ask why?”
Dorothea shrugged. “I think I do like you, Mr. Kimbro. There’s a lot to like. But there’s a whole lot you don’t let anybody see. I heard about what you did for the Allen boy.”
Levi waved that away. “Don’t make more out of it than what it is.”
“Did it have anything to do with you and his mother?”
Levi’s eyes snapped around so fast it was almost comical. “Look here, I don’t know what you been told ...”
Dorothea giggled. “You ought to see your face right now. You look like you’ve been caught stealing chickens. People talk, Levi. You know it.”
“Dorothea, about me and Mikey’s mom ...”
“You’re a grown man, Levi. You don’t owe me an explanation about anything. Unless you want to explain.”
Levi shrugged into his coat. “C’mon.”
“Where are we going?”
“My apartment. I want to show you something.”
Dorothea stepped back, her eyes narrowing as she spat out, “I thought I made it plain and clear to you what kind of woman I am!”
“And I’m not proposing nothing disrespectful to you. I really want to show you something. Something I haven’t shown anybody. Not even Nappy. But I’d like to show you, and when I do then you’ll understand everything about me you need to understand.”
“Such as?”
“That I’m serious as cancer about what I want to do with my life.”
Dorothea sized him up carefully. “No funny business? You promise?”
“You got my word.”
Dorothea nodded firmly. “Let’s go.”
ROUND NINE
“It’s just plain crazy keeping that much money here.” Dorothea spoke in a hushed, reverential whisper as if she were in church. And with good reason.
Levi grinned up at her from where he squatted next to his hidey-hole filled with rubber-banded folded hunks of money. “You ever see the like?”
Dorothea shook her head slowly. “Levi, you’ve got a fortune in there. Are you out of your mind? Why don’t you put it in a bank?”
“Naw. I don’t like banks. Don’t trust ‘em. And you know there ain’t a bank that’s going to take all this money from a colored man without asking a whole lot of questions. Questions I can’t answer. Next thing I know, I’m down in the precinct house with a bunch of cops asking me where did I get the money, who did I rob to get it. And if I tell ‘em I got it backroom fightin,’ they’ll just take it for themselves with a kick in my ass for thanks.”
“You could put the money in a colored bank, Levi.”
“You think they’re not gonna ask questions just ‘cause I’m colored? Dorothea, I’m not putting my money in a bank and that’s all there is to it.”
Dorothea pulled her eyes from the money hidden in the floor to let her eyes roam around Levi’s small, functional studio apartment. “Your place is small, but I like it. Are you sure your money is safe here?”
“I changed the locks on the door so my landlady doesn’t have a key. And not even Nappy Johnson knows I keep my money here. There’s only one person besides me who knows about this money – you.”
Dorothea gulped. “I don’t know if I’m comfortable with you telling me this. We’ve only known each other a couple of weeks.”
“You know what this money is for?”
Dorothea shook her head in a negative.
“I’m taking Business Administration courses at L.I.U. I want to own my own business. Boiler maintenance and repair to start with. Later on, when I can hire some men, we’ll do electrical work, carpentry, plumbing. It’ll be rough at first. I’ll be doing the work myself until I can build up a steady clientele and afford to hire some help. But it won’t be as hard as fightin’ in those backrooms, lemme tell you.”
Dorothea’s eyes were shining with understanding. “I think it’s a grand plan, Levi! And now I understand why you got the Allen boy a job at Mr. Johnson’s gym.”
Levi nodded as he replaced the floorboard. “Nappy’s gonna need somebody to be there to do the maintenance work. I mean, if he needs me for anything, I’m there. But he’s going to need somebody there all the time, regular. I can teach the Allen boy what he needs to know. And with what I teach him, he can get work anywhere.”
“I guess I was right about you, Mr. Kimbro. You are a cut above.”
Levi grunted as he moved the bed back into place. “Anyway, now you know everything about me you need to know.” He turned around to look seriously at Dorothea. “As for me and Rose Allen...”
“I told you that you don’t need to explain.”
“Hush up and let me finish. Yeah, me and her had us a couple good times, but that’s all they were. She’s a good woman who got a bad break. I may have taken advantage of that the situation, but just like I’m a grown man, she’s a grown woman. Nobody did anything they didn’t want to do.”
“Levi, I know you’re not a saint. I don’t expect you to be.”
“You’re the one who said people like to talk about people. I’m just trying to let you know if you want to know anything about me, just ask. I don’t make excuses for my life, or for what I do or have done. But from here on out, you want to know anything about me, you ask me. We’ll deal with it from there. Fair enough?”
Dorothea smiled and nodded. “Fair enough.”
“So, is there anything else you want to know?”
Dorothea’s eyes looked down at Levi’s bed as she said coyly, “Well … there are a few more things I would like to know …”
Levi got the distinct feeling he was being tested here. He folded his arms across his chest as he replied, “You said no funny business and I gave my word there wouldn’t be.”
He saw by the look on her face he indeed had just been tested and passed.
Dorothea said, “Thank you, Mr. Kimbro.”
“You’re quite welcome, Miss McBricker. And now, considering how late the hour is, may I escort you safely to your home?”
“Certainly, Mr. Kimbro. You certainly may.”
ROUND TEN
Dorothea unlocked the door to her Nostrand Avenue three-floor walkup apartment. Her lips still tingled deliciously from the kiss she had shared with Levi downstairs. It hadn’t been a lon
g kiss, but it had been a telling one. It had stirred feelings inside her, but it was too soon to let him know about those feelings.
She’d found out a lot about Levi Kimbro tonight. Enough to impress her, but enough to make her wary as well. She had not only been there to look at him fight, but to see how he interacted with that world. She knew he was more at home in that world than he would ever admit to her or, even worse, to himself.
The lights were still on despite the lateness of the hour and Dorothea knew why. Her brother Teddy sat at the kitchen table, the portable radio quietly playing. Somethin’ Smith and The Redheads singing It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie. Teddy paused in his game of solitaire. The half empty pint of gin immediately told Dorothea how he had spent his night. “Why aren’t you in bed?” she demanded. “It’s late.”
“Tomorrow’s Saturday, remember? No school. And what about you? Whatchoo doing out so late?” Teddy took a swig from the bottle. “Hangin’ out in the street ain’t you. You bein’ all respectable and stuff.”
“Don’t get smart with me, Teddy.” She took the bottle from him and set it in the sink. “I don’t want you drinking in my house.” Dorothea angrily took off her coat and threw it into a chair along with her purse. She walked through the apartment, turning off lights. “And until you start paying the electric bill, I’ll thank you not to burn every light in my house.”
“I’ll have me some money soon. Real soon. Once I start working for The Duke, I’ll get my own place.” Teddy went back to his solitaire game. “Get outcher hair and I won’t haveta listen to your mouth alla time.”
“I’m sick and tired of having this argument with you, Teddy. You’re going to school. You’re not working for Duke. He’s a pimp and a hustler and I will not have you getting involved with him!”
“You think everybody should be a goody-goody like you, huh?” Teddy grabbed the bottle from the sink and took another hit. “Miss Prim-N-Proper. Walking the straight line. Goin’ to church and living a clean life.”