“I don’t think you do,” he said, with the most serious expression on his face that I had ever seen.
I gave him a quizzical look. “Why not?”
“Because you had some pretty bad weak points during your last fight. Your biggest one being your focus. You just couldn’t focus on the fight. Your head was not in the game,” he said.
“I know, Artie. I’m aware of this. I’m going to be focused this time, I promise.” I wanted him to get off my back over what happened last time. It was over. I couldn’t change it.
Artie looked at me for a minute before he started speaking. “Your priorities, Justin. What are they?” he made his way over to the two chairs Anna and Margie had just been sitting in. I followed him and sat in the chair next to him.
“My next two fights,” I said.
“No, forget about the fighting. Forget about Markie. What are your priorities in life?”
“Margie, and, well, now Anna.”
Artie smiled. “Anna, she’s good for you. I can tell how much you both love each other already.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. Had I missed a sign that she loved me? I’d been too scared to tell her my real feelings.
“I can tell by the way you guys look at each other. And I can tell by the way Anna acts with Margie. If the girl you’re seeing isn’t into your child, she isn’t worth it. But Anna just adores Margie. She’s a great influence on you.”
“That’s nice to hear from someone who’s an outside party.” I had to admit that I loved hearing these kinds of things. I had noticed how much Anna adored Margie because I’m Margie’s dad, but coming from Artie, it made me realize just how lucky I was to have Anna in my life. I wasn’t the only one seeing how much she loved Margie. Other people were noticing it too, and that meant Anna really was a great person.
“You know, Justin, I let my own life pass me by because I was too busy chasing things that didn’t matter to me in the end.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, I wanted the championships, the fame, the money, the glory. Those were my priorities, and before I knew it, my life had flown by. I realized I’d never had enough time with my wife. I spent so many years chasing the things that, in the end, didn’t matter. When my wife passed away, I realized how much time I had truly lost,” he said.
He sounded sad. I wasn’t quite sure how to respond. I lost my own wife; we had that in common.
I didn’t get enough time with her, but it was in a different way. I couldn’t compare my life to his.
“You need to get out, Justin,” Artie said bluntly.
“What? Why? How will I pay my bills?”
“Well, from what I see, you aren’t really paying your bills with fighting. If you had to reach out to Markie, things aren’t going well.”
He had a point.
“You need to get out of this game as soon as you clear this stuff with Markie. You need to stay away from him and any sort of game he might be a part of. You need to live your life and enjoy your daughter and your relationship with Anna. Don’t let it pass you by, Justin.”
What he was saying was really hitting home for me. “Thank you, Artie. I really appreciate you talking to me and making me see things more clearly. I’m sorry that I got myself into this mess.”
Artie gave my shoulder a squeeze. “You’re welcome, Justin. You’re a good kid with a lot of potential. You’re gonna go far with whatever you put your mind to. You just need to figure out what it is you really want out of life.”
Artie got up and walked over to the ring to talk with another gym member. I stayed seated for a few more minutes and thought about everything he said to me. He was so right, about everything. I knew where my heart was and who it belonged to.
It belonged with my family. It belonged to Anna. I needed to find a better way to live my life, a better way to raise Margie, because fighting just wasn’t worth it anymore.
I got up from the bench and went over to the punching bags to get in some punches before Artie came to work me harder. I appreciated him so much more after our talk. He was only being tough on me because he saw what I was worth. And now, I saw it too.
When Artie was done with the guy in the ring, he called me up. I got back into the ring, and he helped me practice my submission holds, the holds that were going to get me further in my next two fights.
He put me in a rear naked choke, and to my surprise, when I focused, I got myself out of it and in turn put him into the same hold. He complimented me on my form and quick moves and told me that was exactly what I needed to do during my next two fights.
As we were finishing up, Anna and Margie got back from lunch.