There was a time, I hoped for something. I thought of life as fair to a certain, "degree" but I came to understand it certainly wasn't. No matter how you try to outrun the storm, you just couldn't. Life was a delicate act, that you had no choice but to play in. You were giving nothing but the life you had in front of you and it is left to you to make something out of it.
Flashing lights were the first of my new self. I had lost, I worked hard. However someone could have worked harder or they were just better, lax about morals, luckier. What could you do but continue to carry your burden and try just enough to be happy? Nonetheless, I craved more. It's built-in, part of who I am.
I had started winning young, it felt good winning and I was rewarded for winning. It was the way life worked and hard work was the only part of winning you could control. It was painful but winning was worth it. Yet still, I felt it wasn't enough, there was a confidence you get after winning, you start trying to get a feel of how much more you could win. If you did manage to win, it felt even better, but the want never ends. I realized this and set my eye on my ultimate win. Yet I failed at the doorsteps.
Tom Thomas, A legend. Old now, on his way out of the Martial League. British, a bit stout for the lightweight class but then I was a bit too tall for the class too. Amazing striking, a strong base in boxing mixed with heavy wrestling defense. An old-schooler who made his name while my generation was developing our wild diverse skillsets. He was one of the few remaining old-gen champions. The rankings had gone through a sudden shakeup with the arrival of my generation. I was of course on the front and center of it all. Old vs New, Minimalist vs The Exorbitant.
I was trained in wrestling from 6-12 and learnt Jujutsu alongside it from 12-16. When I was 16, I had made a name for myself. However, it was the moment people demanded of you what you were going to be. I looked back at what I had already achieved and the decision was clear climb the Martial Art mountain. The desire to be the best, I was sure I could do it. I was born a lot luckier than most. when compared to the kids in the upper-middle-class area my family moved to I was a lot less lucky but that didn't matter to me. We were doing well for a while back in Greece. My father was a hard worker, not the best man, but he did what he had to do. An office worker, working for a Greek subsidiary of an American company. Abandoning his parent's smaller cash cow, a little restaurant by Khaniá, Crete. Managed to land himself a good corporate job in the capital. He abandoned his parent's dream of him owning the restaurants and started a new life in Athens, a wife, and kids. He always seemed happy about our life, albeit I could hardly remember at times as I was 5 when we left. In the back of my mind tho, I was sure he felt shame for abandoning what he thought of as his family tradition.
Then everything he built up was destroyed, Luckily he had an out, his parent company was willing to bring him to the US of A due to his contribution to their now defunct Greece Subsidiary. When I heard about it I didn't think too much about it but as I saw the effects of the economic crisis on other families like us. I came to realize that my father's hard work had saved us from a life of destined uncertainty. This only through the work, he put in I believed. My belief became conviction and my conviction blossomed into pouring rain.
Wrestling was the only way my dad could entrench me in any bit of Greek culture, I had started to adapt well to the new culture around me, it started at a snail's pace in the beginning. Father certainly felt repugnant towards the new uptick in speed. He wanted me to still be somewhat Greek and from then on wrestling was the anchor. I got good and I was rewarded for it. Every win felt like a high, a cascade of happiness flowing all through my veins from head to toe. Every time I thought about it, I would feel a phantom of that feeling. My Family, and friends all rewarded me for my victory. Jiu-Jutsu for all I could see was a win to win more in wrestling. I truly didn't care much else for anything but it at the time. Wrestling was my escape from an unfamiliar land, loneliness, and boredom.
Then a minor MMA fighter had found his way to my gym, and wiped the floor with me and it had become a goal of mine to show him, how it felt to be on the other side of the rag. I must admit, that I learned a lot from him and paid back on my debt. He had served as the first serious roadblock and after that, my goals, dreams, and devotion had been set on being the best martial artist yet.
Tom Thomas was the man who stood in the way of that.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE LAST BOUT OF THE GENERATIONAL TURNING POINT IS HERE"
The speakers boomed.
Light flashed out from everywhere, bursting out sporadically.
The clicking of camera, jeering and cheering from the crowds.
I thought I had gotten used to the theatric of the league but as I sat waiting for the last few seconds of our break time to pass by they were all I could focus on. Everything hurts, my eyelids were heavy, breathing hoarse, every breath was a painful drag like trying to breath in a room set on fire, my head was bleeding and suffered from pangs of pain every few seconds. The hard work was hard and so was winning but I'm sure that this fight would perhaps be my hardest yet but that's not the first time I've said those words and I always hoped it was the last.
"OUR FIGHTERS ARE EQUAL IN POINTS WITH ALEX TAKING MORE DAMAGE!"
"MHMM IM NOT SURPRISED JARED, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE HARSH LEFT HOOK HE TO THE FACE WHEN HE ATTEMPTED HIS SIGNATURE DOUBLE LEG. I'M REALLY SURPRISED THE YOUNG MAN IS AWAKE STILL!"
Alex
I was stuck
Alex
Tom's wrestling defense was good enough to stop most of my attempts
Alex
I could never win a standing match with him
Alex
My reach advantage is why we were equal in points
Alex
"WE ARE NOW COUNTING DOWN TO THE BEGINNING OF OUR FINAL BOUT"
"10!"
I go in to attempt clinching and my reach advantage is gone
"9!"
Alex
"8!"
I have to do something
"7!"
Alex
"ALEX" I woke up from my stupor, my father had seemingly been calling my name while I was lost strategizing.
"6!"
"You don't have to win this one, you're still youn"5!""
He was old now slightly shorter than me, we used to be at the same height, bald with heavy wrinkles on his forehead, his eyebrow pressed down in clear worry.
"4!"
"Everybody is proud of you "3!" no matter what happens up there "2!" we will always love you".
"OONE!"
I slowly stood up inhaling to the best of my abilities.
"This isn't training camp old man, How could I, possibly lose".
I didn't look back at him and made my way to the center, Tom walking forward as well already in Orthodox boxing stance
The lights flashed by faster, the crowd louder, the camera snapping under the spazzing trigger fingers of their owners.
"ALEXANDER ATHANASIOU AT 22, TOM THOMAS AT 44 THE BATTLE OF GENERATIONS"