Free Million Dollar Baby by F. X. Toole Page A

back into the corner. But instead of going after him, Reggie back off. When he don’t press, I think he hurt his hand.
    Pats say, “No good. He held his fookin breath throwin those combinations and got tired. See his mouth open?”
    Pats right again. I yell up, “Relax, baby. Breathe good like you suppose, take you time and then come back on him. Make that sound.”
    Reggie nod and do it, and now he only be jabbing pitty-pat jabs, but he moving good and got good color. When he move off, Dashiki try to come on. Reggie got to be careful. A lucky shot from Dashiki could end his career, Reggie no kid, and when Dashiki catch him a couple of times, he hurt Reggie. But he come back the end of the round, and ain’t no doubt about who be boss.
    In the corner, I work the grease and tell Reggie what to do out there, but I forget to talk about breathing.
    Pats don’t. He say, “See what happened? You had him ready to go. You were punching good, but you forgot to breathe. That’s what made you tired.”
    Reggie sit up straight. He say, “You right! Yeah, dass right!”
    Reggie smile big, because now he know that he not be tired because he old.
    Pats say, “You got to breathe all the time, son. Now breathe for me and let it fall out, you know how, make that sound for me.”
    Reggie do it, he sigh big and he revive quick. But he was cut in the lower lip and spitting blood. He got hit while he breathing with his mouth open, when he locked up after putting that beating on Dashiki. We didn’t see it until he came into the corner, so Pats worked on it from outside the ropes. Got most of it.
    Little blond bitch come prancing by with card number seven in the air and that stringy thing up her behind. Be smiling at Reggie like he the king. Bell ring for the seventh. Reggie breathing right again and he all fresh and he moving like a pup. Stone kicked Dashiki’s ass for three minutes. Cut his eye so bad that when Dashiki wipe at the blood he can’t believe so much be on his glove. Reggie stay in that eye like he working on a pussy, bust it up some more every time he hit it, and he keep on hitting it. I call up to Reggie, say that Dashiki eyeball be showing through the cut lid, say that Dashiki ready to go blind. It ain’t true, and Reggie know it, but Dashiki don’t know that, understand what I’m saying? Dashiki cover his face, and now Reggie go the liver, go to the solar plex, go that short rib, cheat around to the kidney. Reggie fighting like he champion of the world.
    I shout, “Git down, Reggie, have fun! Be pretty for me, baby!”
    Reggie be tearing him up. Dashiki try, but he outclass and he know it. I keep yelling up to Reggie that Dashiki can’t fight backing up. Dashiki hear that again and he want his mama. Bell ring and Pats go into the ring to work on that lip. But first he got to wipe all that Dashiki blood off Reggie. I be catching Reggie’s bloody spit when Reggie jump straight into the air, run around the ring and whoop like a wild Indian. Pats look up, I look up.
    What it is that me and Pats don’t see is the referee have came across the ring. He waving his hands to signal the fight over, that Dashiki quit in the corner and Reggie the winner. Me and Pats jump up like Reggie, all of us be shouting like kids at the day care. Harvey be lookin up at the lights like he the one with the concussion. Dashiki face all busted up, but they got the blood from the eye to stop. Dashiki a man and come over to say good fight to Reggie and me and Pats.
    Pats say, “You’re a good fighter, Dashiki, don’t let this stop you.”
    Dashiki say, “I be back. Got some shit to learn.”
    With Reggie, we go to Dashiki corner to shake the trainers’ hands. Back in the dressing room, Pats wash Reggie down with alcohol and we pack our gear and we ready to go. Harvey payday man come in with Reggie’s check. He a little old Jewish dude, got that round thing on his head, nice little dude. He got laughing eyes and a voice like candy. He