by Wilde, Rhea
Maxwell grabbed the arm of the man that was still conscious and raised it into the air in triumph. Bonecrusher, though victorious, looked like he was going to pass out any moment. I didn’t know why he would bother putting himself at risk by going fist-to-fist with another man. But then Maxwell handed him a handful of cash. His face was bloodied and swollen but Bonecrusher managed to work a smile onto his face.
“You want another fight?” Maxwell asked him. “You’re on a winning streak. You want to keep going?”
Bonecrusher shook his head as he stumbled out of the center and left. The other man was barely regaining consciousness. He was helped out of the ring by several other men and Maxwell found himself standing in the center ring by himself.
“Okay, two new fighters!” he shouted. “I need two new fighters! Who wants to win some money tonight? I got big bucks here for the taking.”
The crowd continued to chant and cheer as they looked around at one another.
“Anybody,” Maxwell said. “Anybody at all. If nobody wants to fight, we’re gonna have to close up shop and nobody’s going home with any money in their pocket.”
Everybody still looked hesitant to step into the ring. Maxwell was staring at each and every person surrounding him and they all shook their heads. Finally, his eyes fell upon me. He stared at me, a smile appearing on his face.
I can’t do this. This is wrong. Am I really that desperate?
Maxwell continued to look at me. I didn’t want to consider this. But when my eyes lowered, I saw the amount of cash he was holding in his hand. I didn’t need any further motivation.
“Who wants to fight?” Maxwell shouted.
I walked forward into the ring. Maxwell looked at me and raised one of his eyebrows.
“What do you want, man?” he asked me.
“I’ll fight.”
The shouting of the crowd died down. The cheering turned into laughter. I looked around and saw the smiling faces of the people who just enjoyed the recent display of barbarism.
“You want to fight?” he asked me again.
“Yeah. If I win, I get paid, right?”
“That’s right. What’s your name?”
“Henry.”
“Henry?”
“Yeah.”
“Um… Henry… Let’s see… H… H… Homicide. Who wants to step up and fight Homicide Henry?”
The crowd looked around at one another. It didn’t take very long to find me an opponent. An imposing figure I should have noticed stepped from between two men. He took off his jacket and I saw his massive physique. He walked forward to Maxwell and looked down at me. The man was bald with dark skin. There was a menacing look in his eyes. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. I knew exactly what he was thinking just from the way he looked down at me.
“Okay, looks like we got ourselves a fight!” Maxwell shouted. “I’m taking bets right now. Who wants to bet?”
Maxwell made his way around the crowd and took their money. I stood there in the center of the ring with the massive behemoth staring back at me.
You can beat this guy. All you have to do is focus, Henry. Don’t let it get to your head. Remember your training.
“No more bets!” Maxwell shouted. “No more bets.”
He made his way back to the center of the ring. He got right up next to me and looked into my eyes.
“Look at this, Homicide,” he said as he held up the wad of bills. “I’m the only one that’s betting on you. Everybody else thinks you’re going to get your ass kicked. You prove them wrong, you’re gonna be a rich man. You got it, Homicide?”
I nodded then turned my attention back to the man in front of me. Maxwell got out of our way and stood off to the side.
“All right, gentlemen,” he said. “You know what it is. First man to quit or go unconscious loses. It’s that simple, baby. Let’s go!”
The crowd erupted into cheers and I immediately put my fists up. I started to back up as the large man began to stalk me. He didn’t waste any time in swinging at me. It was easy to duck underneath his punch because of how tall he was. I responded by cracking him in the ribs. He hunched over in pain and I quickly moved away from him.
But it was going to take more than one punch to put this guy away. He shook it off and once again began to stalk me.
Just keep your guard up. Wait for him to attack. He’s too big and too slow to hit you.
He swung again and I ducked out of the way. Another fist against his ribs sent him reeling in pain. The crowd cheered louder. Even though nobody had bet on me, they were still enjoying every second of this.
My heart was thumping. My adrenaline was at its peak. The blood was rushing through my body and my instincts were up. I stood across the center of the ring away from the man. I could see the anger in his eyes as he eyeballed me. The steam was rising off of his head.
He rushed at me. Without thinking, I raised my leg up. The momentum sent my foot up flying against his chin. The man had been knocked completely on his back. I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched him fall to the floor. I looked upon him with everybody else and waited.
That still wasn’t enough. The man made his way up to his feet. Blood was now streaming from one of his nostrils. There wasn’t any question that I had broken his nose. But regardless of what I’d done, he was still looking for more. I put my fists up and prepared for him.
One more shot, Henry. Just put him out of his misery.
He rushed at me again. I bent my knees and with all of my strength sent my fist flying upward. It collided with the bottom of his chin and sent his head reeling back. The rest of his body quickly followed. He crashed down onto the ground. The look in his eyes was gone.
“That’s it!” Maxwell shouted as he waved his arms in the air. “It’s over! The winner of this fight… Homicide!”
He grabbed my arm and held it in the air. I looked at him and pulled my arm away. The crowd began to dissipate. A few of the men helped the man I had just finished off by picking him up.
I looked at the wad of cash Maxwell was holding as he counted out several bills.
“All right,” he said. “Let’s see what we got here. Twenty, forty, sixty bucks. Here you go, man.”
He handed me sixty dollars. I looked at the rest of the money he was holding in his hands and took it from him.
“Hey, what the fuck are you doing?” he shouted at me.
I counted the rest of his money. There was at least a few hundred dollars. Deciding that I wouldn’t be given this opportunity without him, I gave him half and took the rest of it.
“You can’t do that,” he said to me. “I’m the one that bet on you.”
“And I’m the one who won it for you. What are you going to do? Are you going to kick my ass?”
“M-man…”
He shook his head at me and I turned around and walked away. I could still hearing him shouting after me.
“Hey, hey, hold up, man,” he said as he started to walk alongside me. “You fucked that guy up. I wasn’t even expecting it. Nobody was. That’s why I won so much money. You want to fight again?”
“Not interested.”
“Are you sure? You look like you know what you’re doing.”
“Sorry.”
Maxwell was more persistent than he was in the bar. He kept walking alongside me while I continued to ignore everything he said. I looked around, trying to find a place that would give me a job. It was late but there were still a few spots open. I walked into a convenience store that was at the end of one corner and managed to walk out with a job application. When I got out, Maxwell was standing next to the door waiting for me.
“You looking for a job, man? Listen, they’re not going to pay you shit. I can get you more money tonight than you’d make working there in months.”
I didn’t like what he was telling me. I didn’t like having to render a man unconscious. But I had bills to pay. It was nice to have some money in my pocket. I was in no mood to turn down
this kind of offer, especially when I was more than capable of doing it.
I sighed and looked back at Maxwell.
“You can get me more fights?” I asked him.
“Shit yeah, man!”
“And are they all going to be against guys as big as the last one?”
“Nah, man. That guy’s a freak. I’ll get you more fights. Easy fights.”
“And how do you know I can beat them?”
“Because I watched you fight. I don’t know where you learned that shit. I don’t even care. But I know you ain’t some average punk. The guys who live in this part of town are just dying to get their asses kicked.”
“What’s in it for you?”
“What’s in it for me? What are you talking—”
“How much money are you going to make off of me, Maxwell?”
He paused for a moment. He shifted his eyes back and forth as he searched for a number.
“Since I’m the one getting the fights, you get half, man. Fifty-percent. That’s all I’m asking.”
I stared at him. He held his arms out to the side and smiled at me.
“What do you say, man? There’s a lot more money to be made. And we’re talking about just one night of work. You’ll get half of everything I make. And I’ll do everything I can to get everybody to bet against you.”
I was still reluctant about doing it. This wasn’t some desk job. There was no organization or building I had to report to. All I had was this sneaky little guy’s word that I could trust him. His smile belied the fact that he was trying to take advantage of me. That much was obvious. But when I looked down at the convenience store application, I didn’t have much of a choice.
“Okay. You get me the fights and I’ll try and win them. Let’s get this cash.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about, Homicide!”
“And stop calling me Homicide.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever you want. You don’t really look like a Homicide anyway. What should we call you then?”
“How about Henry?”
“Henry? We’ll think of something better. Sounds like some magician or something…”
I walked with Maxwell down the sidewalk and headed toward our next destination. The night was still young and it was calling out to me. It was time for me to respond.
Chapter 6 - Henry
I didn’t know how late I’d stayed up last night but I knew that it was longer than usual. My bones and muscles ached from simply lying there in bed. When I opened my eyes, the sun was glaring and practically blinding me. My head throbbed but I wasn’t sure if it was from any punches I took or the residual effects of the two beers I had. I put my hand up to my forehead and rubbed it to try and make the pain go away.
I didn’t know what time it was but without a job or anything else on the agenda, that didn’t matter. But it was time to get up. I pushed myself up out of bed and went into the bathroom. When I turned on the sink to splash some water on my face, I noticed my hands. My knuckles were swollen. There were traces of red along the bone. When I balled my fist, I remembered how many times I’d used it last night. It didn’t matter whether it was a man’s skull or his jaw. Bone was never meant to crash against bone at high speeds. I was somewhat relieved when I washed some of the blood away and there were no abrasions on my hands.
I stood underneath the showerhead and let the water pour over me. I sighed a deep breath as I felt all of the filth from last night pour down the drain. I had worked harder than I intended last night but it wasn’t in the way I was expecting. Maxwell was a man of his word. We walked around the seediest parts of the city—there were more of them than I expected—and managed to get people to bet against me. I was never in any serious danger but I didn’t enjoy beating the men up. I had to do it though. I hadn’t made a dollar in months.
When I got out of the shower, there was a knock at the door. I wasn’t expecting anybody so I ignored it. There was another knock. I wrapped a towel around myself and made my way front.
“Hold on, just a minute.”
When I opened the door, I saw my landlord Charlie standing there. The old man and I looked curiously at one another.
“Are you here for the rent?” I asked. “I’ve—”
“No, no. It’s not that. How are you doing?” he asked me.
“I’m… I’m fine,” I said. “Why are you asking?”
“I noticed that you came home pretty late last night. You kind of made a bit of a ruckus. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay.”
“Oh… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to alarm anybody. I’m fine. Really. I just had a long night, that’s all.”
“I see…”
“Actually, I was working. I found some guy who needed some help moving some stuff. He gave me a good deal. Let me see…”
I made my way back into my apartment. I looked around for everything I had worked for last night. It was the one thing I remembered. I saw the stack of money on my table. I grabbed some of the bills and headed back to Charlie.
“Here,” I said as I handed him the money. “This is the rent. I know I was late on it but I told you that I would get it to you.”
“I knew you would, Henry.”
He looked down at the crumpled bills in his hand then back at me.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Henry?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. I couldn’t be better.”
I smiled at him and he did the same to me. I watched him as he slowly started to walk away, counting the bills in his hand. I closed the door and looked at all of the money that was still on the table. Even though I had just paid Charlie off, there was still a considerable amount on the table. I took a seat on the couch in front of the table and straightened out all of the money. It was mostly five-dollar bills but there were a lot of them. I had given most of the twenties to Charlie. But when it was all counted and organized into a neat little pile, it was more than I would have made in a night working for minimum wage at all of the places I was looking for work.
I looked at the money and let out a deep sigh of relief. Next to the money, I saw Elsa’s smiling face in her picture. I couldn’t help but smile back at her, some of the pressure finally being relieved. This money wasn’t going to last me forever but it was enough to get Nina off my back for a little while. I leaned back in my seat and enjoyed the simple peace of the moment. It was the first time in a long time I actually felt successful.
My moment of peace was interrupted when I heard another knock at the door. I stared at the door, wondering if I had given Charlie the wrong amount. There was another knock. I slowly got up off of my sofa and went up to the door. I opened it up and Maxwell was standing there.
“Hey, what’s up, man?” he said. “Damn, look at you! You’re looking jacked in nothing but a towel. You trying to seduce me? Nah, I’m just kidding.”
“What do you want, Maxwell?”
“I’m just here to check in on the best fighter in the city, Homicide.”
“I said don’t call me that.”
“All right, all right, all right. Can I come in?”
“What for?”
“I’m here to talk a little business. You didn’t find a job in the last twelve hours, did you?”
Maxwell looked at me with the trademark smile on his face. Despite the amount of money I’d made for him last night, his leather jacket still looked cheap and fake. The chain around his neck was a lot more stained underneath the sunlight. I wasn’t sure if I should let him in but I reluctantly took a few steps back and allowed him to pass.
“All right,” I said. “Just don’t touch anything.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
Maxwell stepped inside and immediately started looking around.
“It’s pretty cozy in here,” he said.
“Yeah, well, I live by myself so it should be.”
Maxwell took a seat on my sofa in front of the table where I had all of the money counted. I made my way back into my room to throw some c
lothes on.
“I counted that money,” I shouted. “There had better not be a single dollar missing from it.”
“Hey, I’m not here to take,” he shouted back. “I’m only here to help you out.”
I put on a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt. When I got back, Maxwell had his feet up on the table. He was holding the picture of Elsa in his hands.
“Cute kid,” he said.
I didn’t say anything. I just took the picture from him and put it back on the table.
“Ahem,” I coughed as I pointed at his feet.
“Right, right.”
He took his feet off of the table and leaned back in his seat. I sat in a chair just across from him and waited for him to say what he was going to say.
“So?” I asked.
“You hungry, man?”
“What?”
“You hungry? You want something to eat? What do you say we go get some lunch or something?”
“Lunch? I just woke up.”
“Or breakfast. It doesn’t matter to me. Food is food.”
I stared at him and he held his arms out to the side with a smile on his face. The way he looked at me made it obvious that he had something up his sleeve.
“What do you want?” I asked him.
“Right now? I want to have some lunch. Or breakfast. You know—”
“I mean what do you want from me. You didn’t come here to ask me out to eat.”
“What if I did, Homicide?”
“Well, you didn’t, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Right… Well, you’re dressed. So let’s go. Come on. Let’s just go get something to eat.”
I sighed as I got up out of my chair. Maxwell and I walked out of my apartment and headed to the diner just down the street. He sat across from me and rubbed his hands as he looked down at the menu.
“Let me see here,” he said to the waitress. “Let me get a burger and some fries. And my man over here will have a couple of eggs, a short stack and some bacon on the side. What do you want to drink? Yeah, he’ll just have some water and I’ll have a cup of coffee.”
The waitress quickly wrote down the order and walked away before I even had the chance to speak.