The unforgettable evening with Hari

I fell on to the ground with a droning sound reverberating in my left ear. I was slowly losing sight of my surrounding. I was breathing hard and fast and could feel my breathing on my stomach, but slowly, even that began to fade away. And then... silence.

I awoke with the noise of the small crowd gradually getting louder and louder and nearer and nearer. My eyes were open and were having difficulty adjusting to the bright light. I could feel my breathing again but this time - slow and controlled and now, my chest was heaving rather than my stomach.

I was sweating profusely and the sudden lack of action was generating immense heat within me and I could feel it on my feet and hands. I felt like an ember emanating heat all over. I could feel the warm floor below me, even though it was wet. I also began to feel the heat below my, on my back, even though I was sweating and my banyan drenched. I moved my arms closer to my hips, folded them to help myself up but somehow, all I could do was think of it. My body was reluctant to move. And that's when I felt the unbearable throb on my left ear.

All of a sudden, all the heat from my body seemed to be emanating from there. It was a stinging pain, and my ear must have been red, slightly damaged and/or deformed. By now, I began to hear the screaming crowd, but it sounded lop-sided and strange. All I could hear was from my right ear as my left ear shut itself to the deafening sound. The realisation irritated me at first and just as I was about to shove my finger into my left ear, I felt the throb once again and gave up the thought. I tried to shake my head but it felt like a ball of iron.

My nose began to twitch and when I slipped my forearm under it, i felt a semi thick fluid and instantly recognised it. But I had to see it to believe it... I had blood oozing out from my nose! This brought me completely back to the real world, and it came back to me. I saw the gloves on my hands and heaved myself up with the referee all over me. He was saying something but I paid no heed, as I wanted to know more about what just happened.

I could see my classmate Hari on the other corner of the ring, chatting with another colleague, his sweaty massive body creating a small puddle below him. Parash, the one he was talking to, did nothing to tell him that I was up, because, I think, he was too engrossed in the chit-chatting, that he didn't see me get up. The referee now held my hand with his two hands and stared at me and said:"Good fight, Ravi." He continued to stare and shake my head a little, thinking I was yet in shock., and continued:"But next time, anticipate."

The flash of the punch hit me like a cool breeze on a hot summer's day. I had dodged his right jab, moving my body slight to my right and leaning back, and taking a step back after that. Hari then took a step forward, and swung his left hand, only to be blocked again, by my quick reactive right arm, but before I could step forward to swing my left hand into his face, he stepped ahead and jammed his right hand into my left ear. It was illegal move, but a damn nasty and powerful one.

That was the sucker punch that threw me down to the floor, and knocked me unconscious for not more than 10 seconds. The referee called us both beside him and Hari, on seeing me up gave me a smile that said both sorry for the punch and yet, wish we could fight for longer! The referee lifted Hari's hand, and he was adjudged the winner. I had in the course of the fight, taken at least seven punches on my stomach, chest, face and ribs, but though all that could be forgotten, and even the fight, that sucker punch will last forever.


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