“Pretty Boy! Pretty Boy! Pretty Boy!”

Loud chants can be heard inside the abandoned warehouse after I landed my fist on my opponent’s jaw which knocked him down on the ground. 

I checked the timer on my left side and got amazed with my new record.  Wow, 1 minute and 10 seconds! That was pretty fast. I looked at my still sleeping opponent sprawled on the dirty floor and to the cheering crowd before heading to my crew.  Hell yeah! I’m quite famous in this community you know. 

It’s not easy living in the Bronx especially if you are an Asian. A lot of thugs and gangsters love to bully Asians here but I got them all pawned when they tried to touch me. I got involved in bloody street fights and that’s where I earned a good reputation.  From then on, nobody dares touch my clique. 

Ladies are throwing themselves at me but I ignored them all. Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE girls -white girls, black girls, Asians, Latinas! I’ve lost count on the number of my conquests and right now I just want to celebrate with my friends. I stop on my tracks when I saw this familiar guy wearing a black tuxedo. Like, WTF! He looks like a sore thumb sticking out in this crowded place. Alarm bells started ringing in my mind when I saw him. Uh uh!!! I wonder what he wants..hmmm, let me rephrase that. I wonder what “the mighty one” wants this time.

“Master.” I saw him give me a ninety degree bow when I reach their area. ! I told him to never bow to me especially when we are in places like this. People around us are eyeing us curiously. Like, hello! Who in this place of the world will bow to someone like me? I saw my friends stifling their laughter and my jaw tightened. 

These bastards!!! If only they are not my friends.  Now, back to more pressing matters. What is Mr. Lee doing here?

I nod my head to acknowledge him. Mr. Lee is “the mighty one’s” right hand. Being his right hand for how many years now, he knows our family’s deepest and darkest secrets. His loyalty to “the mighty one” is unquestionable. There was a time when he didn’t hesitate to use his body to shield “the mighty one” from an assassination attempt. 

Oooppsss, I’m not supposed to spill too many details on you guys because my real identity is supposed to be kept hidden. So before I reveal my real self, I better ask Mr. Lee what’s his business here.

“Guys, I just need to speak with Mr. Lee. Just proceed to our usual place and I’ll follow after.” I looked at my crew and they nodded in understanding. Mr. Lee and I walk out of the abandoned building and went to his car. I settled myself in the backseat while he went on the driver’s seat. 

“You’re looking better than the last time I saw you Master.” Mr. Lee started talking.

Man, Mr. Lee is really not the best liar out there. Me? Looking better? Uh, okay. He’s kinda right though. Last time, we saw each other, my left eyebrow have deep cuts thanks to that m@therf@cker of an opponent who in return got a good beatings from me. Hmmp, nobody gets away from the “Pretty Boy” unscathed.

 I know you have a lot of speculations going around your mind now so I will confirm it for you now. 

Yes! I am an underground fighter but I don’t do it for a living. I’m just doing this for fun and excitement. I love being in these fights because it helps me release all the pent up frustrations and angst in my life. I have a very complicated and f@cked up life. Nope, I already answered some of your questions and I’m not going to go into details telling you about the story of my life. Well, maybe in the future but not right now.

“Mr. Lee, just get straight to the point. My friends are waiting for me.” I know that a lot of people find Mr. Lee annoying but I never got annoyed with him. In my “real life’s” world, Mr. Lee is just some of the few trusted people that “the mighty one” considers as his true friend. He is more than just a trusted employee; he is like a family to us. 

“Son, your GrandPops needs you. Your family needs you. You need to go home.” Mr. Lee looked at me with his pleading eyes.

Home?

Where is my home?

Bronx has always been my home for the last ten years.

Family?

What is family?

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter