In the Moment

Hector finished the sparring round. His second touched gloves with him and left the ring. Hector leaned on the ropes. Heart pounding, his lungs ached for breath.

‘How many punches make a round?’

Vinnie, his manager, approached the ring smiling like a shark. A snappy dresser, he shopped at the thrift store across from the used car lot.

“Great job, kid! Keep that up, you’ll mop the floor with him. You’ll have Reese begging for mercy. This is your moment. Everything will be different after Saturday night.”

Hector didn’t understand. “My moment?”

His emotional footing slipped. ‘All this work for a moment? A picture in the paper? Reach my peak and look out below?’

“Yeah! You won’t believe all the changes coming down the pike. Just keep the juice up. Take Reese out and sky’s the limit.”

Hector gasped for air. ‘How many camera flashes fit into a moment?’

“What then?”

“I told you… Money and women like you never saw.” Vinnie chuckled. “Not necessarily in that order…”

‘All for a moment…’

“Will I be there for it?”

Vinnie frowned. “Of course, kid. It’s yours. You’re it. Run with it.”

Hector debated himself. ‘But will I enjoy it? Or be so distracted by the noise… that I miss the MOMENT?’

His breath began to slow. “Will someone take a picture?” ‘No pic… didn’t happen.’

“You kidding? Hundreds of ‘em, man. You won’t believe it.”

Hector heard Vinnie as if from inside a bubble. Thoughts washed over him. He couldn’t concentrate.

‘What if I blink? Will I remember? How long does a moment last? When ma said, ‘just a moment,’ an eternity would enter reruns before she got around to me.’

Vinnie said, “Clean up. We’ll grab dinner.”

Vinnie got on the phone. Hector tossed his towel over his shoulder and climbed out of the ring. He walked to the locker room.

Eyes shut, he let the water run over him. The hot water melted his exhaustion, and his streaming thoughts… A moment of peace.

‘It’ll happen in a flash.’

He’d seen photographs of knock-out punches. A stark split second. Impact. Off-kilter eyes. Wayward jaw. A halo of sweat frozen overhead. Could hear the circling songbirds.

Hector had thrown a few of those punches. But he only knew it when the limp body slammed to the floor and cheers swelled. Thank God for cameras.

You’re too involved to observe. One step back and you exit the present and become one more of the throng. The moment is lost.

Sitting with Vinnie in their favorite diner, Hector stared at the menu. He knew what it said. ‘Too many choices…’ The salads caught his eye. The descriptions made no sense. ‘All this stuff… who eats it? Save ink and list it as ‘rabbit food… oil and vinegar optional.’’

Vinnie tapped his glass with a knife and pointed at the waitress.

“I’m hungry…”

Hector snapped to the present. He smiled at the woman who’d served them countless times.

“Hi… I’ll have the usual.”

Vinnie clapped his hands. “What’d I tell you?”

The waitress withdrew.

“Sorry, Vin. Got lost in thought. So much going on. How do you focus?”

Vinnie gave him a sad look and slowly shook his head.

Hector held up the menu. ‘Do you read each word? The sentence? The whole? How do I…?’

Vinnie set his glass down hard. Water splashed. “Where do you get all that existential crap? My opinion? You read too much. You get in the ring with someone, you gonna read him a poem?”

Hector laughed. “Might throw him off his guard…”

Vinnie shrugged. “Not likely. Not with Reese. Not ever.” Vinnie leaned in. “You with me?”

Hector raised his glass. “Yeah… course, Vin… makes sense.”

The food arrived and they dug in. Pointing with his fork, Vinnie talked a nonstop, running commentary on the waitresses and the clientele. Servers glided through the room. He waved at friends coming and going.

Hector ate his food and drifted into a reverie.

A friend once told him how movies work. What they call ‘persistence of vision’ makes it happen. Each still frame of a movie stays on the retina for an instant. Each succeeding image blends with the previous, creating the illusion of motion.

‘Every moment is THE moment. Do I occupy each in turn? Step into the flow? Or is flow an illusion?’

Vinnie waved his hand returning Hector to the present.

They finished dinner. No dessert. Vinnie skipped coffee and paid. They stood and grabbed their jackets. Tapping Vinnie’s shoulder, Hector pointed at the doors to the kitchen, the office and the exit.

He asked, “We’re always at the threshold of past, present, future. Which door do we choose?”

Vinnie moved toward the exit. “What is this? Let’s Make a Deal? How ‘bout you cross the threshold of shut your mouth and get to work. Tell you what… stay out of the kitchen. Run five miles and then we’ll talk. Big day tomorrow. Get some sleep. See you.”

Vinnie walked away. Hector called after him.

“Vin… Thanks for dinner…”

Vinnie waved but didn’t look back.

The next morning, Vinnie came in while Hector warmed up with the heavy bag. Vinnie always liked Hector’s style. Great economy. Lightning reflexes. Solid fundamentals, but not too technical. Unpredictable. And he never telegraphed punches. He’d risen through the ranks in no time. Tonight’s fight could be his big break.

Done with the punching bag, Hector drained his water bottle. Throwing his towel over his shoulder, he saw Vinnie and smiled.

“Hey, Vin…”

“Don’t wear yourself out. How you feelin’?”

 “I’m ready.”

Vinnie led him to a bench.

“Hector… You okay? You’re usually a steam engine. Mister Get-outta-my-way. You never had a doubt in your life. Pre-fight jitters?”

He looked at the floor. “Guess that stuff about ‘my moment’ threw me. I want to fight. Don’t know squat about moments.”

“But this will be your moment. This is your beginning…”

“My moment? Gone in a flash… Will it last ‘til I exit the ring?”

Vinnie’s look said it all.

“You got it all wrong, Hec. I don’t mean a ‘hold on a moment while I fish for some spare change…’ I’m talking that moment when the earth shifts on its axis. Klieg lights follow you. Haley’s Comet. An event people will tell their kids about… in a good way.”

Hector nodded as Vinnie’s meaning sunk in. He smiled.

Vinnie punched his shoulder. “You’ve been working your whole life toward this. Gonna step out of the shadows, make history, become a household name – and I don’t mean Mr. Clean.”

“You talking about the second coming, Vinnie…? I’m not…”

“No. No, no… I get that. You’re not… I wouldn’t pretend…” He chuckled to himself and pointed. “…But you could be the opening act…”

They laughed together.

Vinnie was on a roll. “Hey! They don’t call those gloves golden for nothing. You had no trouble wading through those palookas. Those losers should take your beatings as a benediction. This time tomorrow, Reese’ll be a bad memory. He’s got nothing on you. All hype…”

Hector shook his head. “I’m not afraid of Reese, Vin.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s me. Am I supposed to celebrate beating faces into hamburger? That’s it? For a trophy?”

“You got it wrong, man. I don’t even like hamburger. You know me. Give me steak, rare, every time. Go out and take him apart… we’ll be swimming in filet mignon.”

Hector stared.

“I know. I know. Missing the point. Listen… you’re like one of those Greek gods carved outta marble. Someone to look up to. It’s not what you did to the losers, but what you made of yourself.”

Hector tried to sort Vinnie’s words.

“You have an army of servants lifting and toting for you? No! This is your hard work.”

His words were finally starting to make sense. His questions could wait.

Vinnie moved close and whispered. “Hey… This isn’t… that Sheila chick’s not bothering you?”

Hector laughed to himself. ‘Ahh, Sheila…’

How long had it been? He fell hard, was crazy about her. An angel unaware, she changed his life in ways beyond his grasp. She asked questions he couldn’t answer, that were unanswerable. Crazy stuff like, ‘Why are we here?’ Being with her revealed glimmers of life beyond boxing.

No falling out caused their parting but a falling behind. He felt unable to keep up.

Hector looked at Vinnie, still awaiting an answer.

He frowned. “Sheila? No. No way.”

“I saw her. She was at your last fight.”

“Yeah. Ringside. Hanging off some ‘artist,’ no less.”

“I get it. An ‘artiste.’” Vinnie marked the air quotes. They laughed. “Wouldn’t last thirty seconds in the ring with you. But I get it…”

“Didn’t matter. I won the bout.”

“Damn straight.” Vinnie looked him over and offered a thumbs up. “You look good kid. You’ve got some time. Take a steam. Light lunch…”

Hector nodded.

“And don’t worry about landing that killer punch. You’ve got stamina. Wear him down.” They looked at each other. “This is your mo…” Vinnie stopped himself. “Relax Hector, you got this.”

They laughed. Things felt good again.

A few hours later, he heard the crowd’s presence echo down into the locker room. Pre-lims were over. His weight was perfect. Shadow boxing and dancing in place, Hector was ready.

Vinnie stepped in and gave him the nod. They walked out together. The air was electric.

The crowd chanted. Cameras flashed. The ref brought the boxers together for final instructions. Nothing new. They touched gloves and danced back to their corners.

The bell rang and Hector was in the moment.