Tug of War

The arena lit up with the wild cheering of ecstatic fans. Cameras flashed and strobed, and men and women shouted battle cries into the air. A rhythm pulsed from one side of the room to the other, a sort of tug-of-war between two groups who called for blood. All eyes were on the ring. The opponents drenched the mat with sweat and they smelled of hot blood. Rudy wore electric blue shorts and white boxing gloves. They reminded him of his conversation before the match.

"Why are you wearing white gloves?" asked Rudy's trainer, Danny.

"Because I want Rodan to see his own blood." said Rudy.

A red boxing glove collided with Rudy's Jaw. The pain shot through all his teeth, to the back of his head, then southward to Rudy's neck. He had lost focus, thinking of the moments before the fight. Rookie mistake.

Turning his face back to Rodan he lifted his bloodstained gloves so Rodan could see them. Rudy returned the favor to his opponent's chin with two lightening fast jabs. He followed with a right cross, landing above his eye. Rodan was now dizzy and staggered backward, which opened the door for Rudy. He tore into Rodan with a volley of punches.

Rodan stumbled back, losing his footing. His eyes looked at first like a fearful child, then like a vengeful monster. He stepped forward and caught Rudy with a right hook. Rudy collapsed. The referee began counting.

"One! Two! Three! Four!"

Rudy pressed himself upward even as his body cried out in pain. He stood on wobbly legs and faced Rodan, His head tilted forward and his eyes set like a predator. Taking a step toward the center of the ring, Rudy heard the bell ring out. Now in his corner of the ring, Rudy panted for air. Danny leaned over to him.

"Did he see his blood?" He asked.

"Ha!" declared Rudy, "He saw mine, I say."

"He didn't like that pain you set on him," Said Danny, "And I don't like the way he's looking at you."

Rudy caught a glimpse of Rodan watching from his corner. His eyes seemed hungry.

"I'm gonna win this one, Danny. Let him look. I'm gonna win!"

"Better make it fast," Danny replied, "You are losing some wind and your legs need rest. If you can corner him and catch him with another good cross you might have him. Hell, you might even get a KO! How many fights have you won?"

Rudy glared at Danny, "Tonight's the night. Don't Jinx it."

The bell rang out and the fight resumed. Springing to his feet, Rudy jolted forward. His legs held new strength and his arms regained their precision. One jab after another landed on Rodans lips, followed by a swift uppercut to the chin. Electricity pierced the air. The crowd let out a roar that shook the arena, causing dust to fall from the rafters.

A string of crimson blood fell from Rodans mouth, His eyes burned with something inhuman. Rodan rolled his shoulders back and looked about at the crowd. It was here that Rudy noticed the atmosphere had shifted, as the crowd began to chant.

"Rodan! Rodan! Rodan!"

Rudy's knees melted and he felt his stomach drop. After the beating he laid down on Rodan, the crowd had turned on him.

"No. Tonight was my night! They are supposed to be cheering for me." Rudy thought as he followed Rodans eyes, which darted back and forth over the crowd.

Rodans eyes narrowed as the settled on Rudy. He raised his fists up, peering over his gloves. Faster than Rudy could comprehend, Rodan launched, unleashing a series of attacks on Rudy's abdomen. Rudy did his best to defend himself, and when he saw an opening he pushed his advance. Back and forth danced the two of them.

Rudy couldn't sort out how he lost control. He was certain that this was his night. He was nearing the end of his career, and he had never won a single match. Times were hard, and Danny was having trouble booking fights. His reputation was that of a loser, a failure.

Rodan's fist met rudy in the ear, which burned with white noise. Rudy raised his gloved hand to cover the ear and turned away from Rodan in excruciation. There was no question, this ear suffered damage. With Rudy's good ear he could hear the bell sound, and as he did Rodan's fist struck him in the back of the head.

Rudy's world turned bright at first, followed by dimming vision and a queasy feeling in his gut. It happened so fast. Rudy knew immediately that it had been an accident on Rodan's part. His eyes dimmed as he saw his trainer, Danny, clamor up from the side of the ring, a look of shock and concern on his face.

A few weeks went by. Doctors told Rudy he would recover up to seventy-five percent of his hearing. They also told him that the blow to the back of his head had affected his nervous system and his motor skills. Rudy's career had already been on the downslope, but this pushed his career to an end.

As Rudy contemplated these things in his small apartment, a knock came on the door. Turning his good ear toward the door, Rudy called out.

"Whose there?" He asked.

The voice on the other side answered, "It's Danny. I wanna show you something, open up."

"Eh, I ain't feeling so good. Another day." Said Rudy.

"Come on" Replied Danny, "I got something to show you."

Rudy moaned. He made his way out of the recliner and to the door. He turned the knob and standing in front of him were Danny and Rodan. His lips still cracked from his injuries, Rodan held a sheepish look on his face. Rudy looked at both of them. Without a word, he motioned them to come in.

Taking a seat, the men said nothing for a moment. Danny and Rodan started at the same time, with Rodan allowing Danny to speak first.

"We did this a long time, huh?" Danny asked. "We fought 67 fights. your entire adult life up until now. I never gave up on you."

"You should have." snapped Rudy.

"No way." Danny said, "I'll tell you now as I did after the fight, You were the best fighter I ever worked with."

"Don't do this to me Danny." said Rudy, sobbing, "I never won a fight. I'm a failure and an embarrassment."

"Failure?" interjected Rodan, "Embarrassment? Do you even know what happened that night?"

"Yeah, You beat my hearing to death and crippled me." growled Rudy.

"No." Whispered Rodan, "No. Rudy, I thought I was going to die."

Rudy peered at Rodan, Mistrust plastered all over his face.

"I didn't want to fight you." said Rodan, "My manager said it would be an easy win, but my trainer He warned me. He told me to research all your fights. Talk to the guys you fought before. I reviewed every tape, Called every fighter. They all said the same thing."

"What did they say?" Rudy said with an angry tone.

"They said I should run for my life." Said Rodan, "They said you were the scariest man they ever fought."

Rudy sat back in his chair. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Rodan patronizing him? He looked at Danny, who held a slight smile on his face. Rodan continued.

"Every single fight you tore into those men like a savage. A barbarian." He said. "Every one of them was in a panic. That ferocity you had put them all in survival mode. That's what happened to me too. I fought like I've never fought before."

"But the crowd was chanting your name." said Rudy, "They were cheering for you, not for me."

"They were cheering for the underdog," said Danny, "They thought he was going to lose. The fight was so good that they wanted it to go on, so they cheered for Rodan."

" It's true, Rudy." said Rodan, "I didn't know what to do. You hit so hard and fast, I worried I would get hurt. When I heard them cheer, I got confused. I was losing, but when I laid my eyes on you something inside me snapped, and I hit harder than I've ever hit anyone."

Rodan raised a bandaged hand, which Rudy had not noticed. No doubt he broke his hand on the back of Rudy's skull.

"It took everything in me to beat you." Rodan said, "You brought out the best in me. In all of us."

Rudy was furious. He lost. He knew he had lost. He could no longer sanction this mockery. Rudy demanded they leave.

On the way to the door, Danny stopped and turned on the radio. He turned and looked at Rudy with a wink, nodded his head, and left. Rudy heard a newsroom with chattering reporters. After a moment, familiar voices came through the speaker.

"He fought like no other." Said one voice.

"A true champion. Victory is nothing, you have to have heart." said another.

"Hardest punch I ever got. I will never forget that." said yet another voice.

One of the journalists spoke up, "Did Rudy ever ask for a rematch?"

"He did." claimed another voice, "But there was no way in Hell I was gonna go through that again. No way."

The other voices agreed in unison. Soon, a representative from the boxing commission introduced himself.

"What happened to Rudy was an accident, and our heart goes out to him. We wish him a full recovery. I would also like to say this now, in public. Rudy, If you are listening, call me. I know you won't be getting back in the ring, but there is a job waiting for you all the same. I've got some young fighters who need to know how to throw a punch."

"You will have to fight me for him!" Said one of the fighters, "My trainer has been lazy and I got a big fight coming up."

Rudy couldn't believe what he was hearing. He tilted his head back and forth, checking to see if his bad ear was playing tricks on him. What he was hearing was true and sure. Rudy wasn't a failure after all. He had won the respect of the entire sport. He wasn’t washed up after all.

Waldo M. Rudy thought his life and legacy were over. But instead, he was reborn. Nothing worked out the way he thought it would, but it did work out in the end. Failure, finally, was a word. Words hit hard, But Rudy hit harder.