“Best thing that could’ve happened to me.”
Logan looked confused.
Damon pointed toward the younger competitor.
“You shoved him after the break.”
“So?”
“Apologize.”
“For what?”
“You know what.”
Logan stepped closer.
“Make me.”
For half a second, Damon felt the old reflex.
Heat.
Pride.
A room watching.
The desire to demonstrate.
Then Walter’s voice existed somewhere inside his memory.
Who are you when nobody benefits from seeing you behave well?
Damon breathed.
“No.”
Logan frowned.
“That’s the point.”
Damon’s voice remained calm.
“I can force you into positions.”
“I can’t force you into character.”
The room went quiet.
“I’m asking you to decide what kind of fighter you want to become.”
Logan laughed.
It sounded less certain now.
The smaller boy stood beside the referee.
“It’s fine.”
Damon looked toward him.
“No.”
He softened his voice.
“You don’t have to pretend something was okay just because you survived it.”
The boy looked down.
Logan heard that too.
His face reddened.
Finally he muttered, “Sorry.”
Damon waited.
Logan knew why.
He turned toward his opponent.
“I’m sorry.”
It was awkward.
Incomplete.
Probably mixed with embarrassment.
Still a beginning.
Walter watched from the back.
Later that night, the academy emptied.
Damon picked up the mop.
Walter sat on a bench with a cane resting against one knee now, because age had finally started demanding concessions even he could not negotiate.
“You handled the kid well.”
Damon kept mopping.
“I wanted to throw him.”
Walter nodded.
“I know.”
“I really wanted to.”
“I know.”
Damon stopped.
“But I didn’t.”
Walter smiled.
“I saw.”
“Does that ever become easy?”
“No.”
Damon stared.
Walter leaned back.
“That’s why control matters.”
Then he reached into an old canvas gym bag.
He removed a black belt.
It was faded almost gray in places, softened by decades, with frayed edges and no embroidered name.
Walter held it toward Damon.
Damon did not move.
“What is that?”
“My belt.”
Damon looked at him.
“No.”
Walter raised an eyebrow.
“No what?”
“I’m not taking your belt.”
“You aren’t taking it.”