Exams in Lala-Land

(This is an imaginary story of a professional boxer. Wanted to use a war setting but I have done so before...)

*Ring.. Ring*

Narrates: He reluctantly picks up his phone and thinks to himself, "What now??" It is his agent...

"Hello?"

"Hello my boy!! I have good news for you! I have managed to organize a match with Manny in LA!! This could be life changing and bring you career to greater heights!!"

"Wow!!", he replies. (Trying to sound hyped up for it as somewhere deep down in his heart, he hears his heart whisper, "I have heard his before..")

He then hangs down the call. "Well, looks like I have to start training again..... But first, I need to pull my act together and start believing again."

Narrates: And yes, he does. Having beaten Mayweather before. He thought that was it. He thought the floodgates had opened and his career would flourish. He really believed that it would be life-changing!! Sadly, it has been anything but that. Losing to weaker opponents has dampen his confidence. He is now broken. Why you ask? Well, he is a fighter and has been fighting crippled. With emotional pain, physical pain and etc.. Lady luck has not been on his side, but he has been fighting with all these pain all the way. However, it has reached that point that he doesn't want to do it no more. To give it up, to quit and turn his back on his love.

Scene 2:

*Punching the punching bag*

"ARGH!!" He vents his frustration. The words, "I will fight on. Fight on," rings in his head.

His agent then walks in! "My boy how are you? You seem rather out of sort lately...

(This was the chance!! But he chose not to talk..)

"Nah, I just need to get my head in the game..."

"Yea! You need to! This challenge is huge and life-changing man!! "

"Yea, I need time.." he replies, heading back to the punching bag and dishes out a fury them.

His agents looks on for a while before heading for the exit. As he walks back facing his client, the boxer looks in his direction. Knowing that his agents cares, but he just does not know what to do. He then turns back to the punching and punches it in frustration. "Why?!", raging and releasing the frustration he feels towards himself. 

Scene 3:

Slowly, he begins getting his rhythm and finding his groove. Although its slightly behind time, its better late than never. As he begins to prepare, he slowly walks into isolation and he mentally prepares himself for a fight that would him a run for his money.

As he prepares, his agent watches on and smiles watching him getting into his groove. However, he is the only one smiling. The boxer, is still struggling, not as much as before, but he still is, with eyes fixed on the punching bag and a mind that is focused.

And so, the day soon arrives as he prepares....

Scene 4:

*Crowd cheers*

The sound "Wooooooo..." can be heard even in his dressing room, and wow, is it making him nervous. The day he been waiting and working for has arrived, with its fair share of butterflies. Its mind-blowing to know that the thing you have been working for all these while has boiled down to this.

Then he hears his theme song playing, and his mind immediately goes into, "show-time, baby."

As he walks towards the ring, he hears the chanting of his name and encouragement. The butterflies increase every step, slowly but surely, the nerves are setting in.

Once each is at their corners, the announcers makes the standard announcement, "On my left, is Manny and your right is ...."

And the bell rings...

Round 1: 

The boxer starts strong, recovering fast from a wild punch that was dished out. The first few bout seem even with nothing much separating the 2 sides. But the superior technique from the opposition was evident, having made so many boxers his victim, Manny was really going strong and the next few rounds it felt like the bout was slowly but surely moving into his advantage.

But the boxer didn't give up. Although throughout each round, the thought of its almost over. "Just give up' creep into his mind. Hearing that voice, looking around your circumstances, around the ring, hearing the supporters cheering for Manny so loudly, seeing the worried look on his agent face, and the poker faces of the judges. That mixture of anxiety, stress, fear and pain is not a good potion to swallow.

Don't ask me how he did it or why he didn't give up. Perhaps he felt the sacrifices he made was too much to accept defeat so easily. That the pain he went through had to come to something that he could not leave empty-handed, that this has become "Do or Die".

As the battle prolonged, fatigue and tiredness was setting it. The bout got harder and harder for the boxer. There was even a point he almost wanted out, wanted to quit and give up on the bout. Even though Manny also got tired, the boxer seems to be in a worse of position and state as it wore on..

But the battle hasn't ended, we shall see. Let wait for part 2 to happen..