Thirty-One

Afful glares at Chris, and his face is filled with hatred, and venom spill out of his mouth.

"Fuck you, motherfucker! There's no job for you here. Now get the fuck out of my face before I have you arrested! This section is for authorized people only!" he says disdainfully, hatred etched on his inflamed face.

He steps past Chris, and the other men follow him. Steve makes to follow, and then he also stops near Chris and chuckles.

"Don't be mean, Jon. The man is having a hard time. He's a jailbird and he ain't got a pesewa," Steve says nastily. "Mad dog he is, but he deserves some crumbs, no?"

"He doesn't deserve shit!" Afful hisses.

"C'mon, nigger, didn't I hear you lost one of your cleaners?" Steve insists.

Afful stops and turns around. He holds up a stiff forefinger as he walks back towards Chris.

"Yeah, yeah! I forgot! Chris, the man who cleans the toilets at the Company died. You might remember him, shortest bastard from this side of this accursed country. His toilet-cleaning position is vacant, Chris," Afful says with a chuckle. "Good salary. You want it, it's yours. We can rename it Washroom Perfumery or Sanitary Executive or something like that if you want, but it still will be toilet-cleaning because, let's face it, shit is shit. So, you want the job? It's the best I can do."

Chris stares at the man who was his friend at one time, and then he smiles calmly with sad eyes.

"Thanks, man, but no, I ain't cleaning your toilets," he says calmly.

"Eat shit, Chris!" Afful grates out and turns away again.

Steve looks at Chris with pity.

"Listen, dude, I feel sorry for you, I do. You know me, I've got some business deals going. I might be able to sort you out, lucratively, if you'll use your damn head and sign Effe's divorce papers. I'll convince her to let you have your brat of a son, and I'll give you a job. Think about it."

"Take it, Chris! It's a good deal. I don't know why you fucking won't sign the divorce papers," Afful throws over his shoulder. "Have you no pride, man? Steve has been shagging Effe for about three years now, dude, so whether you sign or not, your woman is gone."

"Yeah, I've been having her anytime I want, man. Fine beautiful body, and she's absolutely fabulous! You should see her straddling my –"

Chris' rage is uncontrollable. They all see the sudden terrible glint in his eyes, and the way his muscles bunch up in his arms. His pain is almost physical, and as he begins to move Steve steps back with a little wail of fear, crashing into Afful, who in turn crashes into a man behind him, and they all fall in a crash on the floor.

Chris steps forward, suffused by a terrible rage, but just then he feels a hand on his shoulder, and he spins, dropping into an attack crouch, and looks into the grinning face of a tall, heavily-built young man wearing red trunks and a red hoodie.

He is Michael Crankson, current Grandmaster of GojuFist.

"Wow! Super reflexes! Damn, Bawa?" Crankson asks, awed. "Chris Bawa? You've changed, man! Damn, my living Legend! The only man to retire at the prime of his career undefeated!"

Slowly Chris straightens up, and he takes very deep breaths as he fights for control. His jaw works slowly as the people on the floor slowly get up. The tumbler which Afful gave to one of the men has been broken during the fall, and a shard of glass has opened up a cut on Afful's right upper arm. They look at Chris, and sensibly none of them makes any further remark as they begin to walk away.

Two men in T-shirts emblazoned with the words MIKE 'THE THUNDER' CRANKSON are now standing beside Crankson, and one of them is holding Crankson's Grandmaster title belt. Crankson is still looking at Chris, and there is sudden deadly earnest on his face.

"Gents, here's the legend himself! So it's true he's out! After the Wailer match I wanna fight Bawa, do you hear me?" Crankson says with eager anticipation.

He turns to Chris, and his eyes are not nice as he smiles craftily.

"What do you say, Chris? I hear you're in some financial shit. I'll offer you a shot at the belt. You can't beat me, no, because no man born of a woman can stand the Crankboss, shit! But I wanna beat you to be the best. You'll make some money on the side, you know, get you back on your feet. Think about it, Legend," Crankson says with a final wink.

They all move away, leaving Chris on the corridor. He leans his head back against the wall for a moment, and then he walks slowly toward the entrance. His heart is beating with pain from what he has heard. Damn it all, Effe is sleeping with Steve! For three years! Even when the divorce papers were not signed! The pain is so fierce that he can barely breathe as he rolls along in a sheath of violence.

When he gets near the main exit, he sees that everyone is gone, and that the visitors lounge glass door is sliding open, and a beautiful woman has just stepped into the corridor.

It is Effe.

She is wearing a stunning black dress with tiny white trimmings. Her hair is held up high, throwing her face and neck into an incredible landscape of breathtaking beauty. Steve comes out behind her, glancing down the corridor to ascertain Chris' imposing figure is standing at the end of the corridor watching them with tortured eyes. He holds Effe's waist, spins her swiftly, and kisses her tenderly.

"No, Steve! Not here! Please! I've told you I hate those shows of affection in public!" Effe says against his lips, exasperated.

She extricates herself from his arms and walks quickly towards the exit, unaware that Chris' heart is being torn apart behind her. Steve follows leisurely, holds the door, turns and gives the seething Chris a thumb-up sign.

Chris puts both palms up against the wall, and he leans forward and hangs his head. He breathes hard as pain rips through his heart. He realizes, with no surprise whatsoever, that he still loves Effe with a passion as fierce as the heart of the most violent volcano. The memory of Steve's hands on her and his lips on hers fills Chris with such incredible pain that he trembles perceptively. His phone rings just then, and after a moment he takes it out.

It is Junior.

"Hello, Champ!" he says, striving to keep his voice calm.

"Are you also going to watch the fight, Daddy? I'm home alone with Grandpa. I want to give you something."

"Alright, Champ. I came to watch the fight, but I don't think I want to stay here anymore. I'll come over."

"Yappity, yappity, yippeeeee!!" Junior shouts with delight.

Chris smiles sadly, takes a shuddering breath, and then he sends a text message to Ira.

SORRY, IRA. GOT TO GO. JUNIOR NEEDS ME. WILL SEE YOU AT HOME. ENJOY YOURSELF.

He approaches the main exit and goes out.

Down in the ring the referee is introducing Wailer Vroom, the challenger.

One of the bouncers is asking for an autograph from Chris for his younger brother whom he says is an ardent GojuFist fan, and a great fan of Chris Bawa. As Chris is signing the card the man has given him, he is not aware that way up in the VVIP booth Effe is sitting near the glass, and quite by accident her eyes have shifted to the area below her to the Warrior's Wing.

She sees Chris at the entrance, and her heart flips solidly with sudden apprehension. Has Chris been in there somewhere? Has he seen Steve kissing her? Steve knows her aversion to his public shows of intimacy, and over the months it has become a norm she has not relaxed on, and he has never tried to kiss her in public. But, inside the lounge area, he kissed her, taking her by surprise.

Has it been for the benefit of Chris?

She turns her head and looks at Steve scathingly. She sees the satisfied smirk on his face, and her eyes open with horror!

"Oh Steve! How could you do that? Chris was in there and saw you kissing me, wasn't he?" she asks coldly.

Her face bunches up with sudden anger and crippling depression.

"And why not, Effe? Maybe seeing me kissing you would make him sign the damn divorce papers! I'm getting tired of living in his shadow, Effe, because it's a pretty lonely and cold place to be, and maybe it is time he's forced to leave you alone."

She looks again, and sees Chris hurrying toward the exit doors, and she raises trembling fingers to her lips.

Oh, Chris ...I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! Didn't mean to hurt you!