2.2 Doubts

The day was finally coming to an end, and the students were leaving the college to go back to their micro-studio, eating their pesto pasta while listening to Jay park. Jin and Nils had already left, but Yomo was still on campus. He had a document to pick up from the administration. He made his way through the seemingly endless maze of corridors and finally arrived at the office he was looking for. He retrieved the document after a few smiles, then left with a sigh. A quarter of an hour was wasted on a receipt... the administration was always so unnecessarily slow and inefficient.

He was about to turn into the last corridor leading to the outside when he almost ran into a pile of cardboard boxes that were coming straight at him. After swerving at the last minute to avoid the collision, he noticed the legs walking under the pile and the hands carrying them in an unstable balance. There was someone behind this implausible pile, moving it blindly down the dimly lit corridor. Yomo looked more closely when he thought he recognized the brown-haired man.

"Oh," said the head that had turned to him in apology. "Yomo? The third-year from last night?"

Yomo smiled. He hadn't been mistaken. He knew that badly coiffed brown head well.

"Hey, Rau! So you're carrying boxes? I almost ran into you!"

Rau apologized and Yomo picked up the wobbly boxes from the top of the pile, earning a beaming smile from his comrade who was glad to have someone to rescue him from this mess.

"Where are you heading? I'm going to help you carry all this.

"Haha thanks, you're a lifesaver, man!" said Rau. "I'm going to the drama club room."

"Are you a member of the club?" asked Yomo.

"Yep, we're putting on a play for the end of the year, and we're taking inventory of our equipment so we know what we need."

Rau smiled at Yomo, stars in his eyes.

"Do you do theatre?" asked Yomo.

"No, I make the costumes!"

Yomo made an impressed face.

"That must be quite a job."

"But I love it!"

They finally arrived at the door of the club. Rau opened it with one hand, almost dropping the boxes he was still carrying. Yomo followed him inside, entering a room full of boxes.

"Put them wherever you can find a room," Rau told him.

Following his instructions, the student placed the boxes on a pile slightly lower than the others, bringing them up to the middle.

"It's a mess because we're taking everything out to see what we can reuse as fabric and what we can't."

They emerged after struggling to extricate themselves from the cramped space. Rau locked the door and they headed for the exit.

"How long have you been doing this?" Yomo asked.

"Since I started college, so a year. But I was already making a lot of costumes for my high school and mid-school drama club. I started quite early actually, I love it!

"And why are you doing law and not applied arts then?"

Rau smiled sadly.

"Law pays more, while sewing...it's not a dream come true, unfortunately."

Yomo looked at him sympathetically. He understood. He, too, was not doing what he dreamed of, but he didn't have much choice after all. Life rarely left much choice anyway. They walked out into the street and stopped in front of the entrance as Yomo had to get his bike.

"See you Yomo, thanks for your help! I'll buy you a coffee next time! Rau walked towards the underground and waved."

Yomo smiled back at him. This guy was refreshing. His company was nice too. Yomo shook his head to clear his thoughts and walked over to where he had parked his bike, started to undo the locks and put them in his bag. He got on his competition bike and set off in the direction of his aunt's flat. The day was not yet over for him. He still had to go to the club for his training. He needed it! He could feel his muscles stiffening from lack of exercise and the need to unwind from a long day sitting behind his computer with a good boxing session.

He arrived at the club after a quick change of clothes. Dressed in a pair of tight grey jogging shorts and a black tank top with a wide-open sweatshirt thrown nonchalantly over his shoulders, his natural aura made him irresistible despite himself. The many girls working out couldn't help but turn their eyes to the most charming student in the club. Dani, the club manager, approached and exchanged a check with Yomo.

"So, Mr romantic student, are we back to school and exams? Are the holidays over already? She greeted the newcomer with a big smile.

"What are you talking about? I spent the summer repairing bicycles to earn my living, I barely had a week's holiday to rest!"

The forty-something woman with the tattooed body slapped Yomo on the back and he took a step forward under the force of the blow. Her many piercings moved to the rhythm of her laughter, adding to her natural joviality. Her short hair was slicked back, giving her a bad girl look still in her teens, an attitude she still had deep down, even though she was now a responsible manager and boxing coach. Something that inspired a lot of respect in the student, by the way.

Dani had known the young man for ten years now and had seen him grow from the reckless teenager to the more brooding and thoughtful adult she now had in front of her through her years of training in her club. She had an immediate soft spot for the boy who had had a hard life and had never given up. Surely she saw in him the son she had never had...

"Come on, don't complain, there are worse things!"

She smiled at him as she led him to a free punching bag. Yomo threw his bag on the ground and put on his boxing gloves. He got into position and began to punch the black bag, which began to sway from side to side under the force of his blows.

"Start by relaxing, I'll see if I can set up a match for you afterward," Dani told him.

Yomo nodded briefly before concentrating on his training. The manager left him to go and look after a group of girls who had started to play rotating matches. The club had always had far more female members than males. This was only possible because of Dani. She had been running the club for almost twenty years, and of course, being a woman had always made the women feel more comfortable.

Yomo's presence also had a very beneficial effect on the atmosphere of the place. Deserted by all the toxic testosterone with which men used to invade the rings, she had made her club a welcoming place for all, without any discrimination. And that was something she was very proud of.

The sweat running down Yomo's back, down his spine, and between his gnarled muscles that moved to the rhythm of his punches was starting to wet his tank top. He had been taking off his sweatshirt for a while now. The exercise had already loosened his muscles and his mind was also clearer, washing off the fatigue of the day. Yomo was enjoying it. It was one of his favorite times of the week. In this protective place that had seen him grow up, he liked to get rid of his worries by indulging in this brutal and so satisfying sport. It was his little secret garden.

After a good workout and a few quick matches, Yomo grabbed his things and walked to his flat, which was just a few blocks away. Invigorated, he drank greedily from his canteen and inhaled deeply the night air. This was his favorite time of day. The beginning of the night and the coolness that accompanied it. That was all he needed to continue to face this life that didn't give him the chance to take a step backward. In this world that didn't leave him much choice, Dani's boxing club was the breath of fresh air he needed. His life might be hard, but he loved it. And that was only because of the incredible people who made it so valuable. That, after all, was the power of being happy.