Cessation

I find myself starring up at the bright white lights in the board room bright and early at 9am. Looks like everyone had a good night sleep except me. The door swings open Veronika walks in and serves us coffee. She brushes me as she struts past me. I turn to her and she winks at me in return. The rest of the meeting went well, exponentially better and more productive than yesterday. The promotion and event seems to be shaping up. It begs the question, am I going to be competing in this boxing event? They forecast a sell out for the event due to the fact that Philadelphians are big fight fans and Trevor Smith, a local boxing standout born and raised in Philly draws a big audience as a hometown hero. So once again, if I choose to fight on the card, I’m the underdog which is a role that I have grown accustomed to now. A sellout crowd in attendance for the event and fighting in the main event translates to a big payout and more money in each of our pockets. The only thing holding me back is the fact that I’ll be working full time at the CNE casino while studying for a full course with exams approaching which is already too much on my plate already. It was too early to make a commitment to compete I normally need 8 to 12 weeks to prepare for a fight and let my body peak but this promotion is in 6 weeks away. I told them that I’ll make my decision one week from today. It wasn’t the answer they were looking for but I hope they can live with it.
Veronika drove me and my manager to the airport with Allison in the backseat making out with him. Before I left I wanted to get her Facebook but I found out she deleted her account. “A lot of guys ask to take pics with me and then they post it on their Facebook and tell everyone they hit it. So I got fed up and deactivated my account." I don’t blame her, I have her digits anyway. Here we are standing outside the departure gates. She gave me a hug and a kiss and I was on my way. The automatic doors of the departure gate slid open and walk through it. A familiar voice yells my name, “Kelton!” I turn around Veronika was sprinting towards me. The automatic doors were closing. I forcefully push the door open. She ran and gave me a long hug and a kiss. Her eyes were full of tears. She told me she loved me and made me promise that I would keep in touch with her. I agreed. It was time to head back home…
A week later I finalized the fight on September 16th in Philly. As an athlete it is hard to turn down competition. When you hear the roaring of thousands in the crowds, the standing ovations; its ecstasy, it’s what we live and train so hard for. Little did I know it wasn’t the wisest move on my part…
Working at CNE casino is probably the most enjoyable job I’ve ever had. I get along with the crew from last year and there were some new faces around as well. The new pit managers took some time to warm up to but I found out that they were sincere and good people in the end. Last year was more fun probably because I was working night shift and the breakfast runs after work were awesome. It made me enjoy all nighters. But this year studying for exams spoiled the fun at CNE casino. I was running back every break to study for exams. I would wake up train for two hours study for another hour and grab lunch while studying and then study for another hour. Then I would head to work and then go home to sleep. On days off I would study for 6 hours and train for another 5 hours. It was a rush to fulfill the tasks everyday but the sport of boxing has taught me to have my chin down, hands up and keep pressing on and army training has given me the discipline to soldier on even under even the harshest environments. Speaking of the army, the highlight of working at the CNE Casino was actually watching the Air Show on my way to work. I never knew it was such a big attraction. The EX was packed with people sitting down watching the Air Show. The spectators stretched from Lake shore all the way to the grassy areas on the Gardiner. It was quite an emotional experience for me. For the thousands in attendance showing their support and respect for the men and women, like myself in the military was overwhelming for me. Secondly, one of the F-18 pilots at the Air Show whom I know personally was also the pilot who delivered an air strike for my team and I when we were in danger in hostile territory in Afghanistan. If he showed up for his air strike just a few seconds later, I would not be writing this. Other than that studying for these 4th year courses also required a lot time, focus and dedication. The stress and monotony gradually built up to frustration which translated into aggression which clearly showed in my training but I stayed focus and disciplined to the teachings of my coaching staff. I have a lot of anger to unleash on my opponent. Normally I need to train a good 5-6 hours a day of training for a fight with one day break. But for this training camp I don’t have that luxury and as a result I can tell my conditioning is not where it needs to be. I feel it, my coaching staff knows it. We never mention the issue out loud but for once I can see worry in his eyes for the upcoming fight. But I’m not afraid, I remember Veronika telling me, “I'm only as strong as the coffee I drink, the hairspray I use and the friends I have…” I don’t drink coffee, I don’t use hairspray, I use hair gel sometimes but she sure as hell is right about the latter part of it…