KILTED DESIRE 3 - New Blood (14 page)

   It was a Saturday night. Scott and Tiffany were at Kyle’s gym working out. Scott had just finished doing some free weights and went to find Tiffany. She was busy on the elliptical machine and had about 20 minutes left to do, so Scott made his way to the ‘fighting area’. He’d been in to watch Kyle before and enjoyed doing so. It was an impressive room with an octagon in the middle and lots of workout stations around it. There were a few fighters training but nobody was sparring. Scott spotted Kyle working on one of the heavy bags and went over to him.

   “Hey
uncle Kyle, how are yer?”

   “Hi Scott, I’m just finishing up. Is Tiffany here?” he said
smiling as he grabbed his towel from the floor and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

   “Aye,
she’s just finishing her workoot too. How’s the training going?”

   “Good, I’ve been doing a lot of sparring. Jake says he’s going to get me a real fight soon.”

   “Hey, that’s up tae yer. If yer think yer ready then that’s cool.”

   “I really want to try this Scott, Jake says I’m ready. Dad doesn’t like it though.”

   “Och he just does nae want tae see yer get hurt, that’s all. And I’d imagine yer’ll get more trouble fae yer Mom,” Scott said smiling.

   “Yeah, you’re right!”

   “So, when and where will this fight happen?”

   “We’d like to do it here.
We’ve got a small portable bleachers section already. Ideally though, we’d clear everything away from the outside of the octagon and put some temporary bleachers in too. Dan’s training as well. He wants to have some fights too. It will just be against fighters from another gym and I hope we can get it arranged soon.”

   “So Dan’s the part owner with yer, and Jake the trainer is his cousin. That’s the wrestler, reet?”

   “Yeah, that’s it.”

   “
Sounds guid, so when are yer sparring next? I’d like tae come and have a look at yer in action.”

   “Maybe tomorrow, I’m not sure but if you’re coming up to Mom and Dad’s for lunch tomorrow then I’ll be able to let you know for sure.”

   “Aye, we’ll be there.”

   The following afternoon Scott was sitting around the pool with Kyle and Jim. Tiffany and Linda were in the pool getting their after-lunch exercise. Everyone was excited about the new baby and most of the conversations that day had been about the new addition to the family.

   “I’m definitely sparring tonight if you want to come and watch Scott. I just had a text from Jake to confirm it.
”

   “Aye I’d like tae come, what time are yer starting?”

   “Around seven.”

   “Okay, I’ll be there. Yer sister will probably come too. What aboot yer Jim, do yer want tae come and see what he can do?” Scott asked, turning to his future father-in-law.

   “I don’t know, I don’t really want to encourage it and I know Linda doesn’t like it.”

   “He’s only sparring Jim, he’s nae going tae get hurt.”

   “You’re wasting your time Scott, I’ve asked him to come before. He won’t.

   “I’ll talk to Linda later, see what she thinks. So,
who’s up for a game of tennis?” Jim asked standing up and grabbing his racket.

   “Not me, I’m having a rest,” Kyle answered.

   “I’ll give yer a game Jim, take it easy on me though!” Scott said as he stood up.

Scott had played tennis
very briefly when he was a kid, but he didn’t really have much idea what he was doing. He managed to win a few points, more by luck than judgment, but Jim won the game. The final score was two sets to zero, both sets were 6-0 6-0. Scott didn’t stand much of a chance against the more experienced player. Although Jim was older than him, he knew exactly what he was doing and had Scott running all over the court. Scott had fun though, and definitely felt like he’d had a good workout.

   Later that afternoon, Kyle left and headed back down the coast to get ready for his evening training session. Scott and Tiffany stayed to have a bite to eat with her parents. Linda didn’t want to go and see Kyle fight so opted to stay at home and watch her regular Sunday evening TV shows, but Jim did agree to go and have a look. So, at just after 6:00 p.m. they started their journey south. The weather was gorgeous as they drove down the coast. They had the top down on Tiffany’s Porsche and the ocean breeze was refreshing. Jim followed them in his own convertible. He wasn’t sure where the gym was as he’d not been there before, so he followed closely behind his daughter.

   They arrived at the gym a little after 7:00 p.m. Kyle was getting warmed up and spotted them when they walked in. He introduced them all to Jake and Dan before showing them to the small bleacher section that had been rolled into place at the side of the octagon. Scott made his way to the top row, holding Tiffany’s hand. It was only about six feet high but it would give them a slightly better view. The small seating section would hold about 30-40 people if full, but they were the only ones there. Jim sat down beside them.

   “It seems like a nice place,” he said to Scott.

   “Aye, they’ve got it set up well. I think it can be a pretty successful business here fer them. I’m nae sure aboot the actual fighting part though. I want tae see what he can do.”

   “Yes, the fighting part bothers me too. He hasn’t done anything like this before. Even when he was a kid he wasn’t
really interested in any sports.”

   “Aye, well any type of combat sport can be dangerous. It takes years of training tae be ready tae fight. And he’s talking abo
ot being an MMA fighter. There are nae head-guards, people use knees and elbows to hit yer and they dinnae stop hitting yer after yer get knocked doon. It’s up tae the referee tae pull them off yer and declare the fight over. If yer dinnae know what yer doing then yer could get seriously hurt.”

   “Well that’s comforting,” Jim commented sarcastically.

   “Sorry Jim, but yer know I speak my mind.”

   “I know Scott, that’s one of the things I like about you. I just wish Kyle would listen occasionally when people tell him things.”

   “Tae be honest Jim, I think his trainer is the problem. There’s nae way he should be encouraging him tae look fer a proper fight yet. He’s only been training fer a few months. That is unless he’s really good and a natural. I’ll reserve judgment until after I see him do some sparring,” Scott said as he put his arm around Tiffany.

Just then, Kyle walked past on his way to the Octagon.

   “Hey Kyle, who are yer sparring against? And how long are yer rounds?” Scott asked.

   “There
are a few guys here who are interested in fighting, we’re all pretty new to it and we do three minutes,” he replied, as he walked into the fighting area to meet with the other fighters who were waiting.

   For about an hour, various fighters sparred with each other while the three spectators looked on. When it was over, Kyle had won all four of his matches, quite convincingly. All by applying submission holds. Although in his closest contest against his friend and business partner, he’d been caught by a stinging right hook, which had rocked him. He did manage to clear his head though and win the match after applying a successful choke hold on his friend. Although he was impressed by Kyle’s fitness level, Scott was concerned.

   “What did yer think Jim?” he asked after all the fighters had trudged off to the showers.

   “I was actually quite impressed, and I enjoyed watching it,” he responded.

   “Me too, it was fun to watch,” added Tiffany.

   “He did well, but the standard of the people he’s fighting against is poor. His punches and kicks lacked power and accuracy. His take-doons and holds were okay, but his defense was poor. Everybody he fought backed off him, nae any of them put him under any pressure. The one time he did get caught, the other guy did nae follow it up. I know yer two dinnae have any experience with this kind of thing, but I do. If he fights against someone who really knows what he’s doing, he could get hurt,” Scott said confidently.

   “I believe you Scott, but I kno
w he won’t listen to me or his mom. He’s stubborn. Will you talk to him?”

   “Aye, I will. I dinnae want tae discourage him as I think they’ll really do well with this business. Plus I can see how hard he’s training and his fitness is really improving. He could be quite good at this sport, but it’s going tae take time. He has tae learn tae be patient.”

   “Thanks Scott,” Jim said.

   “I’d like tae talk tae his trainer too, but I dinnae want tae cause any trouble here. They’re probably making a lot of money here by having him train these guys
. Do yer know anything aboot this Jake, Tiff?”

   “I don’t Scott. Tonight is the first time I’ve ever seen him. Just talk to Kyle first, I know he looks up to you and I’m pretty sure he’ll listen to you. He knows about your background.”

   “Okay, I will.”

   Later that evening, just before they were all ready to leave, Scott took Kyle to one side for a chat.

   “So what did you think Scott?”

   “I thought yer did guid Kyle. Yer fitness level and yer strength was impressive, but yer still need a lot of work though afore yer can seriously be looking to get in tae fighting properly. I do think yer have potential though,” Scott said trying not to be too harsh.

   “Work on what in particular?” Kyle asked, looking a little down.

   “Keep yer head up, you did good for someone who’s only been training for a few months. Yer came in tae this with nae experience, remember. Yer’ve come a long way quickly but yer still have a lot tae learn.”

   “What kind of things? Tell me Scott!”

   “Have yer ever sparred with anyone else apart fae those guys tonight?”

   “There are a couple of others who weren’t there tonight, but we’re all a similar standard. Why?”

   “Tae get better, yer need tae spar against better fighters, that’s how yer learn. There was nae anyone there who could challenge yer. Yer punches and kicks need work, sometimes yer’ll have tae use them rather than yer holds tae finish a fight. And yer defense is very weak. Yer were way too slow with yer blocks and yer head was too still. Yer have tae make yerself a moving target. I was impressed with how yer bounced back after Dan tagged you with that punch though!”

   “Okay, it’s disappointing because I’ve worked so hard, but I trust you. I’ll talk to Jake about it.”

   “Hey, dinnae be disappointed. I said yer have potential. I dinnae say that tae many people. I just dinnae want tae see yer get hurt and yer young, there’s nae need tae rush. Enjoy yer training and learn. Plus I have tae make sure uncle Kyle stays in one piece, we may need a babysitter soon,” he said as he grabbed Kyle and put him in a playful headlock.

Chapter 13

   The following evening, Scott and Tiffany were sitting outside on the patio, enjoying the weather. She was reading a book while he was looking at pictures of their new house, on his laptop. It was a beautiful quiet evening, there was hardly a cloud in
the sky. The gentle breeze blowing in from the Pacific Ocean made it feel perfect. The peace and quiet was interrupted by the sound of Scott’s cell phone ringing. He quickly picked up and looked at the display, it was Kyle.

   “Hey Kyle, how are yer?”

   “Good Scott, have you got a few minutes to talk?”

   “Aye, what’s up?”

   “I’ve had Mom and Dad on the phone to me today, both of them telling me I shouldn’t be fighting because you said I wasn’t good enough…”

   “Hey, I did nae say yer were nae guid enough, I just said I did nae think yer were ready, yet!” Scott interrupted him.

   “I know, it’s fine. I’m not angry or anything, I just want to ask you something,” Kyle said sounding calm and friendly.

   “Yer can ask me anything yer like lad, and yer Mom and Dad only say things like that tae yer because they dinnae want tae see yer get hurt.”

   “Yeah, I know. It can be a little annoying sometimes but it’s better than them not caring at all, I guess.”

   “Aye, yer reet. So what do yer want tae ask me?”

   “Okay, I believe what you told me last night. I trust you, and although I was a little disappointed at the time, I do actually think you’re right. I spoke with Jake about it and he asked if you would spar with me. What do you think?”

   “Aye I could do that, when do yer want tae do it?”

   “Next Sunday, give me a little time to prepare,” Kyle said excitedly.

   “That’s fine Kyle, nae problem.”