Jimmy had a lot of time to himself the past few weeks. He was not permitted to train at the gym and he missed that a lot But anyway he thought, my grades are getting a bit better, and my mom is not hassling me a much. But he was extremely nervous and he felt alone most of the time. Even though Joey and Franky were with him most of the time. But it was not the same. As much as he cared for his friends, his whole life was in the world of boxing., and this is all he could think of. He went to bed at night thinking of the last bout he had, and the bout he may have had before Jimmy’s mom had come to see Max.

It’s strange Jimmy thought, here I am with Franky and Joey just sitting on the steps of their tenement building in Harlem with nothing to do. Sunday’s in the past were full of many things to do, including the harassment of the street peddlers, throwing verbal quips at each other. But no more. Each time that Jimmy and the boys walked along the street where the peddlers were located, it was “Hi Jimmy, how the ya doin, come here I wanna give ya sumptin,” and it was this way all along the street. The Merchants couldn’t do enough for the boys. Jimmy was their hero, and if Franky and Joey were Jimmy’s friends, they were treated the same. Jimmy made it a point to wear the T shirt the Merchants Association had given him and he wore it proudly, and they knew it.

Yes, its strange, a few weeks ago, I was a tough feisty kid who would fight anyone at the drop of a hat, but he had learned a lot of lessons since. Since Jimmy’s father had died, he had no one he could really come and talk to. But Max changed that. Max taught him to really be a boxer, and that there were many things in life that were worthwhile without being a wise guy. Yes Max was Jimmy’s mentor, they cared for each other, and would do anything that was asked of one another. but they hadn’t seen each other for weeks. He know that he couldn’t do any training at the gym, but Max said that he could come in a talk to him any time that he wanted to. Why not, after all his school vacation was coming up soon, and there wouldn’t be any harm in discussing his future with Max, would it?

“Izzy,” called Max, got a minute to talk?” Izzy was at ringside just watching the two boxers in the ring, calling out any mistakes that he noted. “Sure Max, what’s up?” “I was just thinking about Jimmy, haven’t seen him for a couple of weeks. I told him that he couldn’t train here anymore for a while, but I didn’t tell him that he couldn’t come and visit.” “Yeah, I know,” replied Izzy, “but I bet that he’ll be here soon. I think that he just doesn’t wanna bother ya Max until his school vacation starts.” “ Yeah, I guess you’re right,” said Max ” But I sure miss that kid.

Jimmy’s hands were shaking as he turned the knob to open the door to the gym. Why the heck am I so nervous. I’ve never been this way before. Even before, during and after a fight, he never felt any nervousness. He wondered if Max and Izzy would be glad to see him or would they think he is a nuisance? He didn’t have long to find out, Max and Izzy were watching the two boxers in the ring as Jimmy walked through the door. Both their faces turned into a wide friendly smile and they saw Jimmy. Max ran over to him followed by Izzy, both men hugging Jimmy as it had been years since they had seen him. “It’s great to see ya kid, missed ya a lot,” said Max. “Me too, “said Izzy. “Why haven’t ya been over to see us before. I told ya that ya could come over anytime ya wanted as long as you didn’t do any training,” said Max. “I just didn’t wanna bother ya,” said Jimmy, “I know how busy ya all are here.” “Jimmy,” Max said. “We’re never too busy to see ya, I toldcha that ya could come over anytime you wanted. Lets go into the office and talk a bit, okay kid?” “Sure.” replied Jimmy. br>

“Jimmy,” said Max, “I saw your Mommy the other day and she said that you’re doin good in school and getting good grades.” Yes, I guess so,” said Jimmy, “and when I asked her if it would be okay if you started to do a little training and maybe have a boxing match or two when school was over, and she said it would be all right, as long as it didn’t interfere with any school work in the future. So, whatcha say kid, you goin to be already in a couple weeks, wanna get back to where we left off? This was the words that Jimmy was waiting to hear. He wasn’t sure whether Max would be interested in him anymore. But he should have known better. Max would never let him down, and what he had done was strictly for Jimmy’s good and welfare. There was no hesitation in Jimmy’s reply. “Max, I can’t wait. I can’t wait to get back in the ring again. It’s all I’ve thought about for the last few months. It’s all I live and breath about. I guess it’s in my blood.” “Tell ya what,” said Max, “the day your vacation starts, you get yourself over here, jock strap and all, and we’ll start where we left off, but be prepared to work real hard, a heck of a lot harder than you have ever worked, and we’ll have that big fight in Joisey like we was supposed to, okay, kid. “Sure Max” Jimmy said enthusiastically. “gosh I cant wait till I tell the boys.” And so this is the way it’s going to be.

To be continued

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