Another excerpt
They broke through the crowd and the boy was at the epicenter of the riotous men, what they had all been shouting at. There was a crude rope that formed a ring around two boy no older than sixteen or seventeen. Both wore only their pants. Their torsos were bare. they both had their hands balled in tight fists and raised in a fighting stance. Both boys were bruised and bloody. Sweat was dripping off their face. Street fighting.
The men screamed their dismay at the pause. They had come to see a fight, not a staring match. With a ferocious cry the larger of the two boys jumped forward and drove a smashing right hook in, drilling the smaller boy in the jaw. he grunted and stepped back. His opponent took advantage. He drilled the boy repeatedly, forcing him back each time. Slowly the bigger boy forced his opponent to the edge of the rope. The smaller boy immediately realized his predicament. He could see the bigger boy building up momentum for his final hit. He poised himself and as the fist of the bigger boy flew towards him. He jumped away to the side, propelling himself away using both hand to push off the bare side of the bigger boy.
With a howl of anger, the bigger boy went flying from the circle, driven by his own momentum. He fell to ground, cursing and livid. He had lost. The smaller boy was bent over and heaving in the center of the ring. He was quickly wiping blood away from his mouth and spitting it into the dirt. But none of the drunken men cared. Instead they shouted for the next contender to step forth.
amidst the pandemonium, the boy caught site of a familiar hat bobbing amongst the crowd. It had the familiar burned shape on the back.
"Pa!" he ran across the ring trying to reach his pa. a sudden loud cheer went up from the crowd of drunken men. As he reached the other side, he found it barred by a wall of men. "Let me through please. E wanna see my Pa!" the men ignored him and shoved him back. The boy fell over backwards from the push, but quickly picked himself up. He moved again towards his Pa who was now staring at him with bewilderment, but a man caught his arm and dragged him to the center. The boy was flung around to meet the smaller boy who no longer looked so small.
"Your name boy!" the man that had a hold of him shouted. Fear gripped the boy as the man shook him impatiently.
"Your name!" the boy finally mustered the breath to reply.
"Edward." the man shook his head.
"John Jo verses Eddie!" suddenly the man let go and before Eddie could turn to run he was being drilled in the gut repeatedly. He was backing away and moving his arms to protect himself in vain.
"Come on Eddie, fight back!" Eddie recognized the voice as his pa's. Pa had never said a word of encouragement to Eddie in his life. A sudden left hook drilled Eddie in the stomach. He screamed and fell to his back out of the circle. The crowd was cheering, but not for Eddie. The boy-wounded and broken-turned to find his Pa, searching for a safe haven. He found him glaring from a distance. The crowd became silent when a man shouted, "Hey Bill! Ain't that your boy lyin' on the ground?" Eddie watched the hate boil in his father's eyes. Eddie had humiliated him, just like always. Bill spoke clearly for all to hear, bu he stared directly at Eddie.
"He ain't no son of mine." Bill turned and disappeared.