Welcome to the Gym

The day had finally come.

I found myself standing in front of my grandfather's boxing gym and even from the outside I could hear the sound of leather striking skin, along with the muffled shouts of those inside. 

It wasn't until my grandfather opened the door for me that I could hear those beautiful sounds in full. There had to have been dozens of fighters giving everything they had to the punching bags on the east side of the gym. 

On the west side, I could hear two men sparring in the ring, trading blows until I heard one of them fall to the mat. 

North, I could hear feet stomping on treadmills and grunting as some of the guys were doing bench presses and squats. 

A smile formed across my face as I stepped forward with my walking stick, its clacking sounds being drowned out by all the noise once I took my first steps into the gym. Immediately, the sour stench of sweat made my nostrils flare and the heat emanating off of everyone's bodies made the place feel like an oven.

"Coach Johnson!" Immediately, a few guys walked over and greeted my grandfather. I didn't really recognize any of the voices since it'd been years but some of them recognized me.

"And little Armin! I guess he's not so little now, look at him!" 

A bunch of the gym members crowded around me, asking me about how I'd been and if I recognized them. It felt like when that one aunt you don't remember would tell you all about how she used to change your diapers but you have no idea who she is.

A lot of these guys looked up to my father and he was the whole reason why they started boxing in the first place. I guess seeing his son brought them all down a trip through memory lane.

"What brings you here after all these years?" One of them asked me. My answer shocked everyone around us.

"I'm going to learn to box."

I could sense that they were all looking at my grandfather like he was crazy. Meanwhile, I could hear whispers about how crazy it was that Coach Johnson was letting his blind grandson box.

"That's hilarious." said an unfamiliar voice from someone who sounded as if they were around my age. "A blind boxer? What's next, a quarterback with no arms?"

Everyone went dead silent. Even the treadmills stopped.

I could sense that he was in the corner near the ring, so I turned my head toward him and addressed him.

"Who exactly are you? Do you look like as much of an asshole as you sound?"

A few of the guys around me laughed and I could hear my grandfather say "Oh, boy." under his breath.

"My name is Ky Jones, you've probably heard about me." 

"I can't say that I have."

"Maybe you've heard of my father. Xavier "The Mad Scientist" Jones." 

"The Mad Scientist!?" I said excitedly, placing my hands on the top of my head. 

"Yup."

He seemed proud to be that complete nobody's son, but I had no clue who the hell that was. Nor did I really care.

"I have no clue who that even is. Must've been a scrub."

"Well, my dad was nearly a champion! He almost beat Lawrence Justice for the belt. It even went to decision."

"And what year was this?"

"2004."

"Weird because I was there. I remember him getting knocked out."

"I call bullshit. Besides, why would you be there anyway?"

"Because I used to go to all of my father's matches and I remember each and every single one down to every last detail."

Those who didn't know who I was were starting to catch on. Everyone knew my grandfather trained my father, but only a few knew that my father married my grandfather's daughter and had a child with her.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I'm sure Ky knew exactly what I meant, but he wanted to hear it straight from the source so I told him.

"My name is Armin Justice. Lawrence Justice is my father."

I could hear murmurs from the crowd once this was revealed. Some were acting as if they knew the whole time while others were shocked my old man even had the time to have a son. 

"So nepotism brought the deadman's blind baby to the ring, huh? Aye, Coach, you don't really think this kid can box, right? Is this some joke? Or are you making him feel better about his daddy dying in the ring by letting him have a crack at it?"

"Hey! That's my grandson and son-in-law you're talking about, watch your mouth! Don't act like you aren't here because of who your dad is too!"

"The difference is I'm not a useless, handicapped vegetable who wouldn't be able to land a punch on an old lady if she stood still with her hands behind her back."

My grandfather's heart was beating fast. It made me wonder why he even trained this kid in the first place. 

"Relax, grandpa. I'm used to this sort of thing. The best way to shut these guys up is to simply prove that my blindness isn't a handicap." I turned my body to face Ky once again as I retracted my walking stick and handed it to my grandfather.

"How about we spar, Ky Jones? Let's see if I'm really as useless as you think."

My grandfather grabbed my shoulder and dragged me to the side of the gym before scolding me quietly. "This isn't like chess, kid! You can't just jump into the ring and expect to box! He's been training his whole life!"

"So have I."

I shrugged off my grandfather's hand and began making my way toward the boxing ring. The layout was exactly how I remembered it, so I didn't need my stick to assist me. "Do you think I've just been sitting on my ass when I wasn't practicing chess?"

I removed my shirt, and I could immediately hear everyone become breathless upon revealing my physique. I didn't need to be able to see to know that my body was insane for someone my age, especially a blind man. 

I wasn't just learning chess after all these years. I trained my body intensely. I ran five miles a day and I did as many situps and pushups as I could do a day until my body collapsed. I shadow-boxed in my room every single night, practicing my form until it was as perfect as I could get it on my own.

I didn't have a punching bag, so I filled a garbage bag with old clothes and used that instead. 

Training like this wouldn't be enough to turn me into a world-class boxer, but it sure as hell would give me a headstart.

Ky laughed, still as confident as he was before I showed everyone the fruits of my hard work.

"The blind boy has muscles. Big deal. I'll fight you. I'll make you wish you never stepped foot into the ring."