"Where is ma?" I asked dad as he laced up my gloves. "She was supposed to be here thirty minutes ago"
"I don't know. Maybe she had to stop to pee. She's always peeing. I'll call her in a few"
"Call her now"
He pulled out his phone.
I greased up my face.
A knock at the door made me stop.
"Voicemail" Dad said.
"She's probably in somebody's drive thru" Nast said.
"Bye" I said, putting my mouth guard in.
A couple minutes later, I was throwing jabs in the ring.
I got hooked once and took a couple body shots.
I looked towards my father, and he was on his phone.
Nast ushered towards my opponent.
I shook my head, and got focused.
I got hit in the ribs, and I retaliated quickly, stepping forward and raining blows.
As soon as he fell back, I leaped forward to let him have it.
I got kicked in the stomach and called a time out.
The whistle blew, and I left the ring.
A horrified expression came across dad's face, and he took off.
"Come on!" Nast shouted at me. "We gotta go! We gotta go to the hospital!"
-
I knew which room belonged to my mother because Uncle Deon came in with Salome right before we did.
When we got there, dad had his face buried in mom's stomach.
She was awake, and she had a bandage on her head.
I could see the faint blood stain.
She looked at me, and then at dad before lifting his head to speak to him. "That's your son? He looks like you?"
"That's our son. His name is Dash, and he's 17" Dad dropped his head down again.
She lifted it up again. "17? He doesn't look 17"
"I'm seventeen" I confirmed. "What's going on?"
"You forgot me again?" Uncle Deon asked her.
She turned and stared at him for a moment. "Yes"
"Somebody knocked her off the road. It's just head trauma. The baby's okay, but she has had some memory loss. She had head injuries when she was younger"
"Coach" She said plainly.
"You remember our Coach?" Deon asked.
"You're Deon!" She practically shouted. "Wow, look at you! Come here"
She tried to sit up, but dad was preventing her because of the way that he was laying.
Deon walked over to her, and mom touched all over his face.
Her heart rate went up, and a nurse came in. "You have to calm down, Mrs. Ferguson. I know that this is all overwhelming"
"Is momma pretending?" Salome whispered to me.
"No" I responded quickly and quietly.
Ma lifted dad's head up again. "Ferguson? That's not your first name?"
Dad just dropped his head down again.
"No. That's his last name. His full name is Darold Durard Ferguson Brown Jr. Y'all got married a little bit before Dash was born. Y'all both boxers" Uncle Deon said.
"I know I box. And you did basketball" Ma said.
"You remember your childhood?"
Her face changed, and she nodded her head slowly. "Some things"
Ma lifted dad's head again. "How did you propose to me?"
He dropped his head down, but she picked it up once more. "I'm talking to you, Darold Durard Ferguson. I'm sorry that I don't know you, but I want to know now"
-
