Night Of Women

It was an easy and mostly quiet night in the gym Friday night. I was determined to get there on time. Les had me come out to the south side site again yesterday. After enduring someone falling on my knee while I was on the Red Line, and freezing on the Adams and Wabash platform while five trains zipped past before the one I needed arrived, I made it out there. Then he thought I was going to stay there all day, even though an annoucement had gone out earlier that the offices were closing early in observance of Dr. MLK Jr. Day. I keep telling him over and over that I cannot stay out at that location until 5:00 PM. The commute is too long getting there and coming back. "I have to be home in time so I can get ready to open up the gym. The coach won't be there tonight," I informed him. I'm beginning to believe he thinks I don't have a life outside of work. I certainly don't share his passion for kids, something that I've never misrepresented myself about to Les. I agreed to stay until 3:00 PM, and then I was out faster than water out of an overturned glass.

Jordan showed up, as I predicted he would, asking where Steve was. Paris Two came in, and it didn't take long for Jordan to gravitate to him. "You a new boxer?" he asked Paris Two. Jordan convinced Paris Two to put on some gloves and come in the ring with him. "Steve doesn't want people sparring when he's not here," I said, issuing the rule more to Jordan than to Paris Two. "We not sparring," Jordan said. I told them to be careful, then they did light drills for a few rounds.

At the end of the night, there was just myself, Carla, Deb and Arin in the gym. Usually, the guys are still hanging around and all the women (except for me) are gone. I had never seen that before in the six years I've been going to that gym.