Right hook, left jab and then the uppercut was what sent his opponent down to the canvas. Tam stood above him, sweat dripping from his chin, and Louise screeched loudly for her brother. Proud wasn’t the word. Ecstatic, elated and bloody bursting with excitement. There was no way that his opponent was coming back after that shot. She stood with bated breath as the crowd noise almost deafened her. As the guy fell to his knees, the noise seemed to die down, like everyone was waiting for the ref’s verdict.
‘He’s fucking out cold,’ Louise heard the ref say as he dropped to his knees and tried to raise the guy’s hand. When it fell dead to the floor of the ring, the place went into an uproar.
The crowd screamed as Tam’s song blared from the speakers: ‘Bonkers’, Dizzee Rascal. As soon as it came on, Louise watched as Tam glanced down at his trainer, Kev, as he stood on the sideline, awaiting the ref to confirm that the fight was over and Tam had won.
As if on cue with the beat drop, the ref stood up and waved his arms, before gripping Tam’s wrist and lifting his arm in victory.
The ring was invaded by Kev, Dunny and the rest of the Firm boys. Tam was up in the air, and Louise felt the sudden surge of tears take over. She watched her brother celebrate and felt hands on her. She turned, saw Cammy smiling down at her as he guided her through the crowd towards the ring.
‘You should be up there with him, hen. You two deserve to celebrate this together.’
They reached the edge of the ring, and Cammy stood at her back. She managed to catch Tam’s eye, and he moved towards her, pulling her over the rope and grabbing her face with his hands.
‘You did it!’ she said, her eyes blurry from the tears.
‘I can’t believe it, Lou. I fucking won.’ His voice cracked and this caused another stir of emotion in Louise’s chest.
‘I knew you’d do it. I’ve always had faith even if none of the rest of our family did.’ And she meant it. Tam wasn’t just her brother. He was everything she’d never had in life. A mum and dad, a best friend too. Their bond was utterly unbreakable and standing there in that ring with him solidified that even more.
Louise knew that Tam would be wanted by the crowd. He’d have to talk to people who came to watch him fight. So she hugged him one last time and headed out of the ring and decided to go back to the bar to get herself a drink to gather herself. Reaching the bar, Louise ordered a drink and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, she felt a gentle brush of fingers on her shoulder.
‘That was some victory.’ It was Donnie.
Louise couldn’t stop herself from smiling. ‘Aye, it sure was. Bloody proud of him. He deserved that win.’
Donnie smiled down at her, and Louise felt her stomach flutter. He was definitely flirting with her, there was no doubt. The brush of fingers on her shoulder was enough to tell her that, even if he hadn’t said anything at all.
‘Let me get this one,’ Donnie said, bringing his wallet out of his back pocket and pulling a twenty out. ‘Call it a congratulations drink.’
Louise felt her cheeks flush, but she embraced the moment as she smiled widely at him. This guy really knew how to turn on the charm. And she was happy to allow herself to be the object of that charm.