Uncaged

Cindy walked into the gym with her baby in a sling on her chest. There was a cage set up in the middle of folding chairs. It looked like the play pen where Samantha spent much of her time. People sat around the giant play pen waiting for two men to enter it. Cindy sat down and waited for her ex-husband Bobby to be called to the ring.

They'd had a fight and separated. They always fought at the end. But now he was fighting someone else.

The last six months had been good for Bobby. Bobby was getting his life together. He had a new job working third shift in a warehouse. He joined the local Alcoholics Anonymous group. Bobby hadn't touched a drink since. He'd gotten into shape.

The gym where he'd been working out had started offering mixed martial arts classes. Bobby was a natural. The owner had started to train Bobby for a real fight. Bobby had a purpose for the first time in his life.

Cindy had even gotten a child support check. He'd called her and told her he'd done it all for her. He wanted to see his little girl and talk to Cindy after the fight.

Bobby looked good to her standing up in the ring. His muscles rippled. It was the first time she'd seen him smile in years. This was the man she'd fallen in love with in highschool. Cindy's eyes welled up with the memories of her past life. Things were so good before...before he...the bell snapped Cindy out of her memories.

The fight started and Bobby attacked. Cindy watched as he threw his punches. She saw Bobby pushing the other fighter against the cage. Grabbing him and holding him there while the man tried to get away. Bobby kneed him in the stomach. He threw the man to the ground and jumped on top of him. The other fighter struggled as Bobby pinned the man's hands to the floor. Bobby hit the man with short little punches in the body that would eventually take their toll. His forearm pushed against the throat choking the man. Then he started hitting the man's face as he lay on the floor. One after another Bobby's fists landed as the man tried to crawl out from under him. The referee jumped on Bobby's back and pulled him off. The other man lay twitching inside the cage.

Cindy drove home fast. She didn't even get Samantha out of her car at when she ran inside. A few minutes later Cindy was speeding down the road again with a trunkful of clothes and no plans to stop.