They held him on each side to get him down out of the ring. Gus was screaming in his ear, “You crazy guy! You crazy, crazy, wonderful guy!” The aisles were jammed and they were all trying to hit him on the back.
Then, as always, it was just the three of them in the dressing room and he was on the table with Gus gently working on the leg muscles.
“Okay?” Joe lees asked.
“An automobile accident would have been healthier, but I’m okay.”
“A fight like that!” Joe said. “For the books. You shoot your wad and you can’t nail him. Then he shoots his and you don’t stay down either. Two guys with no arms left. Then you walk him around backwards while you tear his middle apart. I never see you do it that way before.”
“He gave me the dreamies. I thought I saw the kids out there with Mag. I was showing the boy something.”
Joe took his cigar out of his mouth, spat out a fleck of tobacco. “You should know better than that! Mag’d never bring the kids here.”
“Now I know that. But I wasn’t thinking so good with his right hand jammed into the middle of my head, Joe.”
Harv sat up, trying to gather the strength to walk to the shower. After the shower there’d be some of the newspaper guys around who would want to talk.
He sighed. No, the kids hadn’t been out there, and they never would be. And there never would be any reconciliation with Mag, because that was just the way it was. And it would never be any different. Except for the fighting. That would be different. This had nearly been it. But with a few breaks he’d last out for one or two more bouts. Mace was tougher than average. Don’t let Joe book Mace again too soon. Mace would probably be the one. In the meantime, pile up a little more cash. Nearly the end of the road.
Maybe after he was licked and all through, Mag’d let him see the kids oftener.
He plodded into the shower. There was a mirror there. He thought of going to the zoo with the kids and Joe. He grinned and the grin hurt his mouth. Hell, this face was going to scare the monkeys. He turned on the cold water and stood, face uplifted, eyes shut, torn mouth open, letting the water begin the task of bringing his body back from the half-life to which it descended, a little further each time.