Page 2 of The Fighter who Needed Me
He knew what she was talking about and knew how much she hated her job as a prostitute.
“I did what was necessary, Brooks, but to this day, I hated every single moment. I am telling you this for a few reasons. One, I loved your father. He was my entire world and if he had not died, our life would be one of happiness and love. Instead of this.”
Brooks shook his head and his mother held up her other hand, “No, let me finish. Two, I want you to find what I did. Do not settle for anything less. Do not give any part of yourself to someone else that isn’t the one you are meant to be with. You will know when you meet her Brooks. Wait for her. No matter how long it takes. Please Brooks. The moment I saw your father I knew he was the one for me. And after he died and having to do with other people what I had done in only love before was too much to bear. Please my love. Please wait. I know it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.”
Brooks nodded and she went on. “I had to let you know about your father before I died. He was so thrilled about you. To become a father. He truly was the best man I ever knew. So good and kind. You are so like him, in looks and the way he was to others. Do not let that go away when I die. Stay true to who you are my sweet boy. Please.”
Brooks nodded again and she sighed and lay back against her pillows. “I have loved you from the start and don’t regret a moment of being your mother. Not when life was hard, when I had to do what was necessary to survive. You are my life Brooks, and I will always be grateful that I got to be your mother. Even for this short amount of time. Be strong. For you and Burk. He is already struggling, but do not let him fall. Be his rock and his anchor. I know you can do that. It is who you are. And know that both your father and I are so proud of you. That we loved you.”
Brooks could take it no longer and let the tears fall free. “Please don’t leave me mother. Please.”
She pulled him into her arms and held him to her weakly. She shushed him and rocked him as he sobbed against her.
She ran a hand over his hair and just held him as he sobbed.
When he pulled away, her eyes were shining with tears, and she cupped his face. “I love you Brooks. I will always be right here.”
She pointed to his heart and then hugged him as tightly as she could.
When her body was racked with another coughing fit, Brooks sat up and helped her get a drink of water.
He sat with his mother as she fell asleep, and he told her he loved her as she did. She whispered it back and that was the last time she said anything to him.
The next morning, they woke up to her cold body and Brooks had gone numb.
He knew that she was going to die, but it still broke something inside of him to find her lifeless.
Burk was angry and hurting, but Brooks locked it all away. Needing to be strong for them both.
And when they were kicked out of their flat and had to survive on the streets, Brooks did what he could to help out.
He learned to pick pockets, but hated taking from men in the same situation they were in, so he waited until he found a man who thought he was better than everyone else, and didn’t notice young boys that lived on the streets.
Too bad for him, but the money fed them for a fortnight.
He also knew how to sew but finding out that skin was much different than fabric.
He had to sew Burk up when he came home with a knife wound from fighting men bigger than him, and then learning how to fight.
Fighting with Burk in the streets for a few scraps of food, and then fighting in the ring for a few shillings.
Until someone, more specifically Charles Sawyer, saw them fighting.
He had them come to his underground fighting ring and took them under his wing.
They went from starving boys living from day to day and praying they would survive to men.
Men who had to fight to get their next meal. Who had to fight to figure out where they would sleep and they did it all together.
As they grew older and stronger, and started getting seen more and more with each fight, Burk was called the Devil of Whitechapel, or the Underworld, because of his black hair and amber eyes and he was called the Angel’s King, as he had white blonde hair and bright blue eyes.
But he was just as deadly when they fought as Burk. If not more so. He was shorter than Burk but had speed on his side.
And he was not afraid of anything. Nothing scared him. Nothing came close to harming him.
Not if he did not want it. And no one got close to him.
He was as fast in the ring as he was at deflecting women and their advances.
