Raw Passion (MMA Sports Romance) (6 page)

"Jimmy, you're not making me feel good about taking this fight," Colin replied.

But Jimmy wasn't done bearing bad news.  "And the worst part is, he comes out firing right out of the gate.  He goes after the quick knockout.  He doesn't even let you set up your game plan, no less execute it."

Colin tensed up as his face went white.  "Should I not have taken this fight?"

"I've never seen anything like this guy.  He's a killer," Jimmy admitted. 

"Oh come on Jimmy.  You can always find a weakness.  Please tell me you were able to find a weakness," Colin said. 

Jimmy shook his head side to side.  "I watched every one of his pro fights and didn't see a flaw."

Colin was starting to really sweat now.  "Are you serious?   So basically you're saying I'm screwed then."

"No.  You're not totally screwed," Jimmy insisted. 

Colin was confused.  "What are you not telling me?"

"After going through all of Roderick's pro fights, I dug deeper and found a tape of one of his amateur fights.  That's when things really got interesting," Jimmy said. 

Colin got some life back in his answers.  "What did you find?"

"Why don't you just see it for yourself?" Jimmy suggested. 

Jimmy then popped in an old tape and Colin watched intrigued as the action unfolded on the television.  And what Colin saw was absolutely amazing.  Roderick Jameson was actually down on the mat.  In his pro career, Roderick barely ever seemed to even take a punch, no less get taken down to the mat.  But there it was, right in front of Colin's eyes.

Even more amazing was how Roderick got to the mat.  On the tape, Roderick was squaring off against a Greco-Roman style wrestler.  And against all odds, Roderick's opponent was able to tackle Roderick to the mat.  Once there, Roderick's opponent tried to put Roderick into a choke hold.  But Roderick was able to slip out of the hold.  From there, Roderick got back to his feet and pummeled his opponent.  But for one brief moment while Roderick was on the ground, he seemed to be in deep trouble. 

***

"So what do you think?" Jimmy asked, turning off the tape.

"Don't get me wrong, the footage is amazing, but I can't do that," Colin insisted. 

"Why not?" Jimmy wondered. 

"Because I'm a stand up fighter," Colin said.

"Not anymore you're not," Jimmy replied. 

Colin was confused.  "What are you talking about?"

"From now on, you're a Greco-Roman wrestler," Jimmy said. 

Colin looked at Jimmy like he'd completely lost his mind. 

"Jimmy, that's insane.  You're asking me to learn a whole new fighting style?" Colin replied.

"No.  I'm asking you to do what's necessary if you want to have any chance of beating Roderick," Jimmy said.

Jimmy was not the joking type, and as Colin looked into Jimmy's eyes, he could tell Jimmy was being dead serious.  And when Jimmy meant business like that, he was usually right.  But that didn't mean Colin had to like what Jimmy had to say.  After all, Colin had spent his whole life as a stand up fighter.  That's what he knew best.  Learning a whole new discipline would be grueling. 

"Isn't there any other way?" Colin asked.

"Colin, you can't beat this guy standing up.  You can't even beat Trent standing up anymore," Jimmy replied.

"Don't hold anything back," Colin replied, annoyed.

"It's just the truth.  And Roderick knows that.  He's seen tape of all your fights.  That's why he chose you.  Because he's beaten twenty other fighters just like you.  But this--what's on that tape, he'll never see coming.  He'll never expect this--not from you.  And the element of surprise is the best thing you have going for you right now," Jimmy explained.

Colin hated to admit it, but Jimmy was right.  There was no way Colin could overpower Roderick, and Colin had personally watched Roderick send three stand up fighters to the hospital.  It was clear Colin had to try something different, and Jimmy's plan was just crazy enough to work. 

"Alright," Colin said.

***

With the fight plan nailed down, there was still something else Colin had to clear up in his life.  He had to get his heart straight.  Not only was he tired of being hung up on his ex, but after running into Samantha, it was clear she wasn't just over him, but that she never thought about him.  There was no reason for Colin to waste anymore time lingering on how things used to be with Samantha.  It was over.  And the sooner Colin moved on, the better. 

Then again, that was easier said than done.  He'd been trying to get over Samantha.  And judging by the dreams that wouldn't go away and how Trent had kicked his ass in the ring, Colin's efforts clearly weren't working.  But maybe running into Samantha was just the wake up call he needed to really get his ass in gear.  And for better or worse, it was time for Colin to try to get back out on the dating scene. 

***

"Good morning Colin.  You holding up alright?" Sarah Jones asked, gardening in her front yard as Colin moved to his car in the driveway. 

Sarah asked Colin the same question every day.  He could tell that she was waiting for the day that the answer would change.  That some time in the near future, Colin would be able to relay some good news, instead of the same partly cloudy forecast he always delivered. 

Sarah meant well though.  And besides, Sarah wasn't just any old next door neighbor.  She was Colin's godmother.  She'd been good friends with Colin's parents.  She knew Colin since the day he was born.  And it pained Sarah to see Colin in rough shape. 

When Colin first lost his parents, he moved to another suburb to his grandparents house.  But when Colin got his first big fight paycheck, he bought back his childhood home.  He thought it would give him a connection back to his parents.  He thought maybe it would remind him of the better times of his childhood.  And moving back meant that Sarah would be his neighbor again. 

Colin both loved and hated being around Sarah.  Talking to Sarah brought up visions of his parents, which brought a smile to his face.  But at the same time, if Colin thought about his parents too long, he'd linger on how much he missed them.  He'd start to obsess over losing them.  So it was both bitter and sweet to be around Sarah.  But that dynamic was everywhere in Colin's life.  He knew his parents were gone, but he couldn't help but want them back.  He knew it did no good to fixate on what he'd lost, but he also couldn't ignore the void in his life.  He had a tortured soul, and probably always would.  But it was good to have a support system like Sarah.     

"I'm the same as usual," Colin replied. 

"I'm sorry to hear that," Sarah said.  "If there's anything I can do, just let me know," Sarah said. 

"You know, my mother's sixtieth birthday is coming up.  Or, what would have been her sixtieth birthday," Colin replied. 

Sarah sighed.  "Wow, that's amazing.  It's incredible to think she'd be sixty.  Then again, it's incredible to think she's been gone so long."

"Yeah," Colin said, choking up. 

Colin and Sarah then both got silent.

"Should I bake a cake?" Sarah suggested, breaking the silence.  "I could pull out my old photo albums and we could reminisce about the good times."

"I'm not sure that I could handle that.  Besides, I can't have cake.  I'm training for another fight," Colin explained. 

"Another one?   Well be careful.  You have to take care of yourself," Sarah insisted. 

It was funny.  To the rest of the world, Colin was a bulky hulk of a man.  A tough as nails MMA fighter.  But to Sarah, he would always be that scared and emotionally scarred little kid that lost his parents and needed coddling.   

"Sarah, I've been doing this for ten years.  I'll be just fine," Colin said. 

"How's your love life lately?" Sarah asked. 

Sarah had a way of cutting through any attempt at subtlety.  She'd always been blunt.  And this time was no different.  Colin's mother had been a lot like that too.   

"Same as last week when you asked me," Colin said. 

"So lousy then," Sarah replied. 

"That's one way of putting it," Colin said. 

"Is there any other way of putting it?   Look, you should really just find a nice girl and settle down.  Get out of this fighting business," Sarah insisted. 

"You make it sound much easier than it is," Colin said. 

"Let my tai chi group get on it.  We'll find you a woman in no time," Sarah replied. 

"Please don't," Colin said. 

"Alright.  Well I'm here if you need me," Sarah replied. 

Colin looked into Sarah's eyes and knew she was just trying to help.  And he was happy that she was. 

"Thanks," Colin said.    

***

"I never thought I'd get into an argument over toilet paper," Patrick Miller admitted. 

If Jimmy was the stern disciplinarian at the training gym, Patrick was his lighthearted counterpart.  Patrick was Colin's sparring partner.  But he was also Colin's best friend. 

Patrick was actually the one that gave Colin the idea to get into MMA fighting in the first place.  It had been Patrick's dream to be a pro MMA fighter.  But despite his heart and will, the talent just wasn't there.  His career was a non starter.  He could never do better than the amateur ranks.  Patrick made a great sparring partner though.  And Colin was happy to have him around. 

The training sessions with Jimmy were grueling.  On the breaks, Colin liked the levity that Patrick brought to the gym.  Patrick was always there with a joke.  At the same time, Colin and Patrick's personal lives couldn't have been more different.  While Colin was all too single, Patrick had been married for years.  He even had a kid.   And while Colin was desperate to settle down himself, Patrick offered a reality check about the married life.         

"You really argued about toilet paper?" Colin replied. 

"I know it sounds crazy.  I mean look, it's not like I meant to argue over something so ridiculous, but we'd both had a long day at work and we were worn out.  Then before we knew it, we were taking out our frustrations out on each other--over who's fault it was that we ran out of toilet paper," Patrick explained. 

"Hey, at least you have a wife," Colin admitted. 

"Dude man, there's shit you don't understand about being married," Patrick said. 

"Yeah.  Like arguing about who's fault it is when you run out of toilet paper," Colin joked.  "I guess the important question is, whose fault was it?"

"Alright wise guy.  You've made your point.  I know it was a bullshit stupid argument," Patrick remarked.  "But that's the point.  It's just funny how sometimes you argue about the craziest shit when you're married."

"Look man.  You can complain all you want, but I'd still take your life," Colin said. 

Patrick shook his head in disbelief.  "I don't know what's wrong with you.  You're going to be retiring soon.  That easy pussy you could be getting right now is going to go away.  You have to get in there while the getting is still good."

"Been there, done that, got tired of it.  Besides, I've tried fighting single before.  I just find it easier staying focused if I'm in a relationship instead of just chasing the next piece of tail," Colin explained. 

"Dude, there's plenty of time to get married.  You have the whole rest of your life to get married actually.  But the window for boning badass babes is closing," Patrick insisted. 

"Let it close," Colin said. 

Patrick groaned.  "You're killing me man."

Colin's trainer Jimmy then came over. 

"Ladies, are you done here?" Jimmy said.  "We have a fight to train for."

***

Colin knew he had to get his love life back on track.  And it wasn't just because it would help him for the fight.  It was because Colin was tired of being single.  He was ready to start the next phase of his life.  And for that phase, he wanted to fall in love.  Ironically, while Colin was at a low point in his search for love, those closest to him seemed to be at their high point. 

That's how Colin found himself at the wedding of his old friend Brant.  Now Colin was happy for his old friend.  It had taken Brant a long time to find "the one."  There had been a lot of bumps along the road.  Brant's story actually mirrored Colin's story a lot.  The only difference was that Brant had already found his happy ending. 

Colin was tired of feeling sorry for himself though.  And there was no better place to jump back into the dating scene that at a wedding.  Bridesmaids were everywhere.  Romance was in the air.  The mood was set.  What could go wrong?  

Then Colin got to the wedding and realized just how awful his luck was.  He'd managed to get invited to the one wedding where no one seemed to be single but Colin.  The maid of honor, the bridesmaids, even the extended families of the bride and groom--everyone was romantically attached.  It was unbelievable.  What were the odds that the singles scene at a wedding would be so non existent?   Colin wanted nothing more than to dig into the buffet at the reception.  But he knew he couldn't.  He was in training for his next fight.  There was no room there for indulging in cake or other goodies.