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him. A deep cut over Andrew's left eye bled profusely down
his face. Mitchell's fingers probed the mangled jaw, skull and
neck for broken bones. Hudson staggered to his feet and
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The Lonely War
by Alan Chin
paced, waiting for either man to rise off the floor so he could
continue the drubbing.
Cocoa found the whole incident indigestible. He knew
Andrew had thrown himself in the line of fire because he had
feelings for the officer. He'd seen the way Andrew looked at
Mitchell. He didn't approve of those feelings, but he thought
Andrew did an honorable thing. And even though Cocoa
agreed with the unwritten code that a strong man has every
right to beat the pulp out of a weaker one, given enough
provocation, there was something in the ferocity of Hudson's
attack that went beyond the code, something sinister, as if
Hudson's hatred of Andrew had somehow caused the whole
incident in the first place.
He mumbled to himself, "Bastard's got it in for the boy,
hated Andy from day one. Somebody should stuff his weenie
in a bun and chow down." He swallowed the last bit of rum in
two gulps and slammed the glass on the table. He lumbered
to his feet and belched.
"What the fuck," he said. "God hates a coward."
He knew Hudson was unsteady from too much booze. It
might be enough of an advantage. He squared his shoulders
and moved from one foot to the other, testing his movement.
He felt fine. He hadn't had enough rum to slow him down, but
he wished he had on his regular lose-fitting uniform. He felt
too restricted in his liberty dress whites.
He walked over to Mitchell, who was bent over Andrew.
Blood from the cut over Andrew's eye had drenched the front
of his white jumper. Cocoa rubbed his hands on his pant legs
to wipe the sweat off then turned to face Hudson.
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The Lonely War
by Alan Chin
"You're pretty hot stuff with a boy, asshole. What have you
got when they come a little bigger?"
Hudson's face colored to a vibrant shade of purple, but he
smiled as he bent his knees and leaned forward, lowering his
center of gravity.
"You're beggin' for it, you crummy son-of-a-bitch, and I'm
the man to give it to you."
Everyone surrounded Hudson and the cook. The two men
moved in a circle, facing one another with fists held high.
Someone in the crowd yelled, "Fight!" The cry was echoed on
the street. Locals and sailors crowded into the bar while men
along the walls stood on tables and chairs to see.
Before the first blow was struck, however, Chief Ogden
jostled through the crowd with his arms raised over his head.
Everyone assumed he would break things up, but it only took
Cocoa an instant to realize Ogden intended to referee the
fight. At that moment, Cocoa cut the air with his right fist and
connected with Hudson's jaw, knocking the man's head back
six inches.
Hudson reeled backwards, shook his head and charged.
They exchanged blows. Whenever Hudson moved in close,
Ogden stepped in to pry them apart.
Cocoa was grateful for the chief, for in the clinches Hudson
could do more damage with his heavy body blows; but with
regulation boxing, Cocoa used his superior footwork to
sidestep those blows and move in with skillful jabs to
Hudson's face.
The crowd roared encouragement to both men, but the
majority were clearly pulling for Cocoa.
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The Lonely War
by Alan Chin
After a dozen swings and misses, and as many sidestepped
lunges, it became clear the big man was already tiring. Cocoa
knew it took more energy to swing and miss than to connect.
He figured, if he could keep sidestepping those powerful
swings, he would soon have the upper hand. He jabbed and
hooked effectively, intently executing his plan.
Hudson did connect every now and then. Cocoa took
several staggering blows to the face and gut. He tasted blood
oozing through his mouth, but his vision stayed clear; and he
moved better than Hudson, whose swings were wild and
dangerous. It was obvious Hudson went for a knockout punch
with every swing.
Hudson swayed between swings. He blinked constantly, as
if trying to clear his vision. Sensing an advantage, Cocoa
stepped up his offensive, aggressively taking it to the big man
with clockwork precision. Every blow landed on Hudson's face,
opening up several deep cuts.
Blood oozed into Hudson's eyes, and he swung blindly.
Cocoa fought carefully, passing up one, then another
chance to deliver a knockout punch. He was not ready to let
the big man off the hook. He intended to cut Hudson's face to
ribbons before ending the fight so Hudson would think twice
before ever tangling with him again. Hudson would remember
this fight every time he looked in a mirror.
Cocoa felt good, and the pain in his jaw was not too bad.
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