Once a year--on parent's night--
Dad took a night off the bottle,
and Mom a night off work,
to walk across the gym floor
with "Proud Parents of a Wrestler"
pinned across their chests.
They watched as I grappled
another ninety-eight pounder
in a high school JV match
that was only briefly mentioned later
because a fair tussle,
even if it involved one's own son,
didn't seem worth talking about
after watching Billy Hughes.
Billy, our JV heavyweight,
gave up six inches
and a hundred pounds
to his opponent,
but he hustled onto the mat
with his long black hair
hanging over his shoulders
and his beard framing
pursed lips.
Billy bounced up and down
as his eyes darted from Coach Kilburg's
clenched fist and "Be tough,"
to Billy's brother, Mark, screaming,
"Cone on, Billy,"
to the unsuspecting Goliath
standing across the mat,
waiting,
but now knowing
that Billy believed.
Billy, on his feet first period,
danced and dodged, so
Goliath couldn't grab hold
for a lateral drop
or a bear hug.
"Billy can't do it..."
fretted the fans,
"That guy's too big."
Yet they hoped
and prayed
that somehow
he would.
Billy, on top
for the second period,
pushed Goliath,
chopped at his arms,
lifted him up,
slammed him down,
rode him off the mat
and out of bounds,
Billy hopped up,
charged back to the center circle
and bounced on the balls of his feet,
higher and higher as his brother screamed
from a few feet off the mat,
"Come on, Billy!"
Billy, in the down position,
felt Goliath's grip on his elbow,
the giant's arms around his waist,
the beast's breath on the back of his neck,
and waited for the whistle
that started the third period.
He felt the weight as
Goliath leaned on him,
pressed his weight against Billy's back,
tried to flatten him,
turn him,
pin him, or just
use his size to squeeze
out Billy's breath and spirit.
But Billy kept his base,
forced a leg up,
rose,
tore free of the giant's grasp--
and escaped.
Later that night,
at the kitchen table,
Dad tried to talk
about Billy, but Dad's laughter--
his happiness hangover,
made it difficult to say the words,
so Mom took over.
"I've never seen nothing like it!
That guy was so big...
but that Hughes boy...
that Billy...somehow..."
And for one night, laughter--
unmitigated joy--filled our house,
and I knew, thanks to Billy Hughes--
that in life--
anything is possible.