08.14.08
Orphan fighter, pt. 3
I had arrived a few minutes early, so I sat around for a bit and took in the atmosphere. There were a few tough-looking dudes carrying trays stacked with coloured tickets. That reminded me — I had to figure out the betting system before things got rolling if I wanted to get the most out of the night’s action.
Judging by the coloured tickets, my guess was there was some colour coordination going on with the tickets and the fighters. The kids were wearing different coloured shorts, so it seemed natural to assume that you placed your bet by buying a ticket of the matching colour. Seemed easy enough. I’d figure out the rest as soon as the action got started.
In the mean time, I decided to size up the fighters before things got under way. There were actually quite a few of them out there, all of them lined up like ducks in a row. You can sort of tell how much of a chance a kid stands in a fight just based on the way he carries himself. Of course, I didn’t know any of the fight rules or nothing, so I was just going by intuition. The kid in the yellow looked good. That was an easy one though, the dude was a big chunky looking kid. Watching him pace, I got the sense that he had good balance for a guy his size. But I still wasn’t convinced. If there was money to be made, it’d be from betting on the underdogs.
It was too much to think about right then and there, so I pulled up on the reigns a bit. Thought I’d hit up the old guy next to me for some inside information.
“Hey mister. You come here much?”
No response.
I gave him a nudge to get his attention.
“Oy, what’d you say?”
“I asked if you was a regular at this place.”
“Oh, yeh, I guess you could say dat.”
“Could I ask you a few things, mister?”
“Call me Jome,” he said.
“What kind of name is Jome?” I remember thinking. It probably came out all weird on account of his lack of dentistry. Just to be safe, I decided that I wouldn’t be calling him by name.
“Right, you got it. Anyway, you know where I can find out the matchups and stuff for tonight?”
“Oooh. you want to know the card for tonight, do ya?”
“Yeah man, is there a programme or something.”
“Not for bums like me ‘n you,” he said. Damn, did I really look like a bum?
“So we just gotta bet when the fighters come out?”
“Yeh, dat’s how it works.”
“But we’ll be late on the bets,” I said, “there won’t be nothing but underdog tickets left.”
“Dat’s jus how it is. We bums got it hard, ya know?”
I played it like I was upset and all, but I was planning to bet the ‘dogs anyway. The important thing was not to only go with the ones you figured could actually win it. Betting on the huge upset just on account of the odds is nice for a quick payout once in a blue moon, but it’s also a good way to end up on the street. You gotta pick your battles right. You gotta know all the facts. I could tell I I still had some learning to do, and I wasn’t going to sit around and waste my time.
“Nice talking to you, uh, Jome.” I was planning to relocate to a seat closer to where the fighters were.
“Same t’you my boy.” He said.
A minute later, I was on my way down to the front. I stopped a tray carrier and asked him how much the tickets cost.
“They’re a hundred bucks each,” he told me.
“And where do I cash out?”
“A confident one, eh?”
“Hah. Not in the least, my friend.”
“Well, after the night’s done, people with winning tickets stick around while they do the numbers. They pay out after that.”
“Thanks man. I’ll hit you up later when the action gets started.
“Wait. You look like you’re new here. How about a tip for a tip?”
I liked the guy’s style, so I footed him a 20.
“Alright, let’s hear it.”
“The kid in yellow? Yeah, I heard he can’t keep his eyes open if a hit comes his way.”
“Interesting. I’ll keep that in mind.”
By the time the exchange was over, the place started to get quiet. The lights in the gallery went dark, and a platform in the middle was all that was lit up. An announcer come up to the middle and started addressing the crowd.
“Good evening everyone. I see a lot of new faces tonight, so I’ll give the rules a run down and get out of your way. The fights will be mano-a-mano. No holds barred. Win by pushing the other person out of the ring or making them tap out.”
I heard a person whispering from somewhere behind me.
“Sounds harsh,” he was saying.
“Don’t worry about it. The kids have their fun, and no one ever really gets hurt.”
“Is it really just fun and games for them?”
“It must be, right? It’s just a friendly competition between group homes.”
As they were talking, the announcer walked away and two kids walked up onto the platform. One of them in yellow; the other one in green.
The green one was just an average looking guy, but I had a feeling about him, ya know? When the ticket guy came around, I knew who I was putting my money on.
“10 tickets for green,” I said, “The colour of money.”