Fighting Fit

“Just look at this place!” Janice says, standing in the middle of the hallway and fanning herself. Stacks of comic books line the walls, forming a dark tunnel. Her dark hair is drawn back in a tight bun, she smooths over her freshly ironed shirt. “This has gone too far.”

           “Looks alright to me,” Kim says as she leans against a wall near the doorway.

           “You would say that; when was the last time you actually made your bed? You practically sleep in a nest.” Janice tells her daughter before turning to look down the tunnel and yelling, “Hello? Ann, are you here?”

           There’s a muffled crash from somewhere in the house and a voice calls out, “Coming!”

           “Now, she’s a little strange, but be nice to your aunt,” Janice mutters to Kim, who looks at her with pre-teen mutiny.

           “It’s unfair,” Kim hisses back.

           “Hello! Hello!” Ann, a pudgy middle-aged woman with dark hair and an ink-stained shirt pops up from behind another stack of comics, surprising Janice, who drops her purse.   “Is it 2 o’clock already? Sorry, I’ve just been tidying up.”

           “Clearly.” Kim says, rolling her eyes at the mess around them.

           “Well, come in. Please, Janice just go forward and then turn left into the kitchen. I’ve got some cookies and snacks waiting for us.” Ann says while smiling at them, seemingly oblivious to Janice’s judging glare and Kim’s disdain. “So nice to have the family visit.”

#

           They had to move the stacks of comics off the chairs (‘Careful!’ Ann had said when Kim dropped them like dead weight), and were now all sitting around the table with various snacks and drinks in front of them.

           Janice clears her throat and says, “Well, Ann, no point beating around the bush anymore.”

           “I didn’t realize that’s what we were doing.” Ann smiles at her sister, but there is a calculating look in her eyes. “Go on.”

           “Well, I’ve told you about Kim’s little problem at school.”

           “It wasn’t my fault.” Kim grumbles, “Well, not completely.”

           Her mother ignores her and plows on.  “But I think I’ve come up with a solution for both of you.” She smiles at her sister, who smiles back with all of her teeth. “I think it would be good for Kim to come here and help you sort through these magazines. You could get rid of some of them and start living like a human again, and she would learn about…manual labor.  And helping others.”

           Without a change in expression Ann says, “No.” She turns to her niece, glances down at her scraped knuckles on her half-empty cup, and asks, “You sure you wouldn’t like more soda?”

           Janice, exasperated, knocks on the table. “Ann! This has gone on far enough. Look at this place! You can’t even sit anywhere comfortably.  A stack almost fell on you when you opened the cupboards, I mean—”

           “I’m not getting rid of them, Janice,” Ann says, her expression turning combative, “I can’t pick favorites and abandon the others, they’re like my--” Ann stops herself and looks down at the cup in her hands.

           “Your what? Children?” Janice asks with a special type of sisterly venom. “Is that how you feel? You gave birth to,” She says, picking up the nearest one and reads, “Lobster Man faces Mantas and the Giant Shrimp?” Janice holds up the cover next to her face to show a superhero dressed in red with claws facing what looks to be a man in black spandex and hang glider riding a giant shrimp with a saddle on its back.

           Kim sniggers at the comic, but quickly stops herself.

           “Of course not. I was going to say ‘friends.’” Ann looks down at the displaced comics.

“Listen, you’re turning our parents’ house into a…fire hazard.”

           “Don’t say the ‘f’ word.” Ann says and then quickly hides her grin behind her cup.

           Janice lets out a sigh. “What would happen if a huge wall of these things fell on you? Don’t you feel claustrophobic in here? I do, and I’ve only been here a few minutes.”

           “You could always leave.” 

           “And how are you even paying for all of these? Mom and Dad’s insurance money must be running out.”

She gives Janice a nasty look. “Don’t bring them into this.”

           “Well, I can’t help it. I mean what would they say if they could see you now? You think they would be proud?”

           “I’ll pack you some snacks for the road,” Ann growls. She stands up and rushes to a nearby counter to pull a plastic sandwich bag from between comics. “Thanks for stopping by. It was wonderful and I can’t wait to see you all again.” She looks her sister in the eye and says, “At Christmas.” Ann tips the plate of cookies into the plastic bag and seals it up.

             Kim immediately stands up, ready to go back to ‘her real life’ as she likes to think of it. Janice looks up at her sister with an indecipherable expression before standing up slowly and taking the cookies from her.

           As they start to leave, Janice turns back to her and says, “You’re my little sister.  I worry about you, that’s all.”

           The rage flows out of Ann slowly when she hears Kim ask, “So…why couldn’t we just do a video call?”

#

           “Keep. Keep,” Ann says, sitting in a chair as her niece sits on the kitchen’s tiled floor. There’s a glass of milk and a plate of cookies next to Kim as she holds up the comics, one by one, to be divided into either a ‘keep’ or ‘donate’ pile. There is only one pile.

           “There has to be at least one comic that you don’t want. What about this one?” Kim picks up a random comic. “Look, the corner’s torn.”

           “It’s not that simple.” 

           “Why not?”

           “Because, they’re…memories.” Ann stands up and runs a hand through her tangled hair. “Look at this one,” She says, picking up one with a yellow background and a giant orange popsicle terrorizing a town. “When I bought this one my crush, who lived next door, tried out for little league and came home with a broken leg. I was the first person to sign his cast.”

           Kim smiles confusedly before saying, “Is that actually a good memory? Your crush broke his leg.”

            “And this one!” Ann says, ignoring her niece and starting to get excited. The one she hands Kim has a short blond-mustached character with wings on his head, and a giant man with red sideburns on the cover. “This one was given to me by a French exchange student who stayed with us during high school.” She looks around the room, tilting her head from side to side like a bird hunting in tall grass, before she suddenly dives into another pile. The superhero on this one’s cover is silver and red with a robotic face and glowing eyes. “I bought this one when I taught English in Japan for a year.” She tosses it to her niece who starts flipping through it.

           “You’ve been to Japan?” Kim stares at her in surprise. “Do you know Japanese?”

           “Not at all. Wait a moment.” Ann hurries out of the room as her niece stares down at the pages filled with comical justice. At first, Kim thought it was all too gawdy, practically garish, with its bright colors and forced humor. But she was starting to enjoy the way the fights are drawn. 

           “But still, not all of them can be special.” 

           “Well…maybe not.” Ann reluctantly agrees, coming back with her arms full of a selection of comics. “But many of them were either given to me, bought, dedicated—”

           “Dedicated?” 

           “I almost married a comic book writer when I was down in Peru, but…” She stops, like a wind-up toy dying down.

           “But what?” Kim asks, looking up at her aunt.

           Slowly she brings herself back to the present, into the kitchen where her niece sits in front of her. With a sad smile Ann says, “Turned out he was catfishing me. Look, here’s one of a Mexican superhero. A luchador-type but he also fights vampires and things.”

           “Did you buy it in Mexico?”

           Ann laughs. “No, that one was a gift. There are still a few countries I haven’t been to.”

           “I never knew you’d traveled so much.”

           “What? You think I spent my whole life in here?”

           “Well,” Kim says, looking around at the walls of comics and then back at her aunt, “I mean, basically. You seem more like a retired librarian than a world traveler.”

              The smile on Ann’s face falters. “I’ve seen a lot of the world. I was always traveling someplace new, picking up odd jobs, teaching English. You know how some people buy postcards or souvenirs from places? Well, I’d always buy comics wherever I lived and then I’d send them here because this is the most permanent address I had. And Mom and Dad kept all of this in the garage and I moved it into the house afterwards and,” She speaks slower and starts looking around at everything, “then when they passed, I just…kept buying more. How long has it been?”

           “You mean since grandma and grandpa died?” Kim asks, watching her aunt curiously. “Five years.”

           “You sure?” She asks. “Wasn’t it just last year?”

           “Nope.” Kim says, opening up comics around her to look at more fighting scenes. “What language is this one in?” She holds one up that has a silver-haired man and a sword on the cover.

           “Chinese.” Ann responds, absent-mindedly. “Technically that’s a wuxia manhua,” She says, shaking the mental cobwebs away and sitting back down in her chair.

           “Well, I think we should keep the more sentimental and international ones. But beyond that…we really need to get rid of at least one.” Kim looks up at her and sets down the comic. “Just one.”

           Ann thinks for a moment and says, “You pick one. Pick one to take home with you. Read it, donate it, burn it, whatever you want. Don’t tell me what you do with it, but pick one that looks interesting to you.”

           “You sure?” 

           “No.” A smile creeps onto Ann’s face. “But we might as well try.”

           Kim looks unsure, but starts searching the comics around her. Out of another pile, she pulls out one with a strong-looking heroine on the cover. “This one?”

           Ann looks at it and an odd nostalgia fills her. She remembers reading that series under the bed covers when she was just a kid. Mom would sometimes catch her when she’d see the light on under Ann’s door.

           “That one’s fine. And remember—don’t tell me what you do with it, even if you throw it away. I’d like to imagine it going to a good home.”

           “Promise. So…are we done for the day?”

           “Sure.” Ann says and then leans down to grab the plate and cup. “Best not let your parents find out about the snacks. Your mom wants this to be a punishment.”

           “Thanks for the comic, Aunt. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Kim smiles and happily rushes out of the house.

           Ann smiles grimly after her, still unsure about how she feels having an invader in her house.  She had started to forget who she was, and her sister’s visit last week had sparked a change.  A sense of worry deep in her belly.  It was better to let Kim come over if it would calm her sister down. 

#

           Ann’s doorbell rings repeatedly. “Coming!” She shouts, hurrying down a half-empty hallway. When she opens the door, she’s shocked to find Janice with a firm hand on Kim’s shoulder. Kim looks down, using her hair to cover her face.

           “WHAT do you think you’re doing? Giving her those violent comics!” Janice yells at Ann, trembling with rage. “Look at her!”

           Ann looks down at Kim and is about to say ‘she looks fine’, when Janice pushes her daughter’s hair out of her face and shows Kim’s blackened eye.   

           “That’s not good.” Ann states in mild shock.

           “You think?” Janice yells, “She got into another fight because of your STUPID comic books.”

           “I’m sorry, I didn’t—why don’t you two come inside? Before the neighbors think I’ve murdered someone.” Ann says and steps aside to let her sister and niece in. Kim looks furtively up at Ann and then at her mother. “Let’s go sit in the living room and I’ll bring us some cold water. Cool us all down a bit.”

           Janice sits on the couch stiffly and expects Kim to sit with her, but instead she sits on one of the armchairs alone. The air conditioner hums and Kim slouches in her seat, arms crossed and angry eyes fixed on her mother.

           “It’s not aunt Ann’s fault, Mom.” 

           “Be quiet and let me talk to my sister.” 

           Ann comes back with a tray of cups and another plate of snacks. “Are you ok?” Ann asks Kim.

           “Ok? OK? Of course, she’s not ok! This is beyond just a rebellious phase, she’s in…crisis!” Janice yells, her arm signaling to Kim as though anyone could ignore the beaten-up girl. “Ann, you knew she was in trouble! She’d already gotten into one fight and now, because of your ‘superheroes’, she’s got it in her head that it’s ok to fight. She’s already failing out of English and now she might not even be allowed to go to summer school—” Overwhelmed by her own frustration, the tears start flowing. Janice leans against the armrest of the couch and lets herself sob into her arm. A shocked silence falls over the room and even Kim’s anger breaks down at the sight of her mother’s uncontrolled tears. Ann comes over with a handkerchief and hands it to Janice. At first, she refuses the handkerchief, but after calming down a little bit she takes it without showing her face.

           “Kim, do you want to tell us about the fighting?” Ann asks. “What happened?” 

           Kim tries to keep her chip up and look tough, but can’t, so she looks away and says, “There’s this bigger guy who likes to stuff this twig kid with these big glasses and shabby clothes into lockers. The first fight was because I tried to stop him.” Her healed knuckles turn white as she grips the hem of her shirt. “But this time, he was bullying a girl. He said no body would ever go out with her and she had a big forehead and…just stupid stuff. So, I told him he should leave her alone—clearly, she didn’t want to talk to him. Then he started coming after me and I just…so I threw the first punch, but he caught it! So, I kicked him in the groin, and then when he bent forward, he headbutted me in the eye. It was over in like two seconds.” Kim looks up at them. “But what else was I supposed to do? Not stand up to him?”

           “Yes!” Janice says, sitting up and staring at her own daughter in horror. “If it means putting yourself in danger, I’d rather you be a coward. Plenty of successful people are cowards.”   

           “Don’t be a coward. Your problem is that you need boxing lessons.” Ann says, trying her best to look serious. She can’t help but feel incredible amount of warmth and pride towards her niece.

           “Oh, she does not need your help.” Janice snaps at Ann and gestures around the room which is still half-lined with comics. “You can’t even help yourself.”

           Even as she says it, she regrets it. Janice shuts her mouth and a heavy silence falls on the group. 

           “You’re right.” Ann says in a quiet, controlled voice. “I couldn’t help myself. That’s why I started seeing a therapist.” She reads the questioning look on her sister’s face and responds, “After Kim started helping me. It was good to…sort-of see my former self through another’s eyes. It helped bring myself back.”

           “I’m--you’ve really been doing much better?” Janice asks, her voice is small as she draws into herself. “Well, it’s clear that you’ve been working hard. I didn’t mean it about not helping yourself. The place looks much better.” She stops and buries her face in her hands.

           “Well, maybe you’re partially right,” Ann says to her sister. “There are other ways to defeat villains than by beating them up.” Ann looks at Kim with a sly smile. “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

           Janice groans as she pulls her hands off her face. “She should be reporting them to the teachers or me, her parent, or someone else in authority.”

           “Yes, do that.” Ann agrees, but then adds, “And in case that fails…”

           “We will figure it out together. Or let it go.” Janice says.

           “Let them go,” Ann says, looking at her sister, “...into a vat of acid.”

            “Ann!” Janice shouts, giving her sister a playfully exasperated look. “That’s terrible advice.”

           “Yeah, with my luck they’d end up with superpowers.” Kim grumbles.

           “We’ll work on another plan.” Ann says, picking up the tray of water-filled cups and offering them to her family. “Together.”

           “Together.” Janice says, picking up her glass of water. Kim nods before taking her glass and pressing it against her eye.