“Nobody Can Beat Me,” the Black Belt Boasted — Until a Single Dad Entered the Ring
Chapter 3
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The MC held up a clear acrylic briefcase. Inside were stacks of crisp, banded hundred-dollar bills.William stopped walking. He stared at the briefcase.$5,000.His eyes shifted to his hands. They were calloused, scarred, and trembling slightly from muscle fatigue. He looked back at the briefcase. $5,000 wasn't just money. It was a new transmission; it was rent; it was Maya's field trip; it was three solid months of not waking up at 3:00 a.m. with his heart pounding against his ribs, wondering if they were going to end up on the street."Dad?" Maya tugged on his shirt sleeve. "Can we go?"William looked down at her. Her big brown eyes were tired. She was wearing a T-shirt that was a size too small because she was growing faster than he could buy clothes."Hold on a second, Maya," William said. His voice sounded distant, even to himself.He looked back at the ring. Trent was shadowboxing now, throwing lightning-fast combinations at the air, exhaling sharply with every strike. Showing off.William didn't know much about kickboxing. But 15 years ago, before the bad knee, before Maya's mother walked out, before the relentless grind of poverty broke his spirit, William had been a bouncer at a dive bar on the rough side of town. And before that, he had boxed in a dusty, non-air-conditioned gym run by an old guy who smelled like liniment and cigars. He was never great; he was too slow. But he had one distinct talent: William could take a hit. He had a chin like an anvil and a nervous system that seemed to process pain not as a panic signal, but as dull background noise."5,000? Just to survive three minutes?" William muttered."Nobody's taking it, bro," a teenager next to him laughed. "That dude, Trent, is a monster. He already broke one guy's nose and kicked another dude so hard he threw up. It's a marketing stunt. The gym keeps the money."Three minutes. 180 seconds.William handed the plastic grocery bags to Maya. "Stay right here," William said, his voice dropping an octave. "Do not move from this spot.""Dad, what are you doing?" Maya's voice hitched with sudden anxiety."Just making a quick withdrawal," William said.William pushed his way through the crowd. He didn't say excuse me; he just moved forward with the heavy, unstoppable momentum of a tired man who had reached the end of his rope. The sea of teenagers in backward hats and middle-aged guys holding energy drinks parted for him instinctively.He reached the edge of the raised platform just as the MC was bringing the microphone back to his mouth to close the event. "Excuse me," William said. His voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the bass of the speakers.