Chapter 31

The Offer

Betzy

The doorbell rang. Dianna and Carl appeared. Dianna wheezed, bent over and placed a hand on each hip as she said, "Our power supply croaked preventing us from leaving work."

The four gurgled which spread to laughter. George's belly shook as he bellowed with a guttural "sorry." All six draped each other in chortles.

Alice's eyes glistened as she continued the previous conversation, "Women Thai-boxers went underground in Thailand, although they flourished in RMGCs and other clandestine gyms. Pubic displays of women fighters brought shame to their families. It is a man's society where it is okay to beat your wife in private, but not in public. The few women who challenged men were regarded to be shrews. If women quarreled or disagreed with their husbands in public, it was grounds for divorce. Many men opted to abuse their spouses secluded from view."

George's eyes gleamed. He relaxed and the corners of his lips turned upward as he said, "Legend claims a Muay-Thai (Thai-Boxing) Grand Champion paired it with other martial arts procedures. The practices were perfected in a semi-secret setting as they fought to knockout or death. The non-lethal method spread to other parts of the world.

A Royal Canadian form developed as the Society of the Fraternal Order of Fear which merged several additional oriental systems into a method for fighting in hand to hand combat. Later it surfaced as Fraternal Fear (FF) during World War One where Canadian, American and British soldiers developed contests among the three Armies in Germany."

Bobby added, "Carl and my martial arts teacher in college taught us that by World War Two a professional version of a non-lethal Fraternal Fear appeared in competitive sports world-wide combining kickboxing and judo. Retired General Jerry Lee Lockhart was the Grand-Champion and lead proponent for nineteen years."

George's brows scrunched together. His eyes barely opened to a squint, and he permitted his mouth to gape as he responded, "Some phrases of the Thai Language slinked into the terminology of the organization. Kun pen lak (คุณเป็นหลัก) which literally means, 'You are the main one!' is a way of saying, 'I quit, or I give up!' The opponent wins the fight. Muay Thai Rem (มวยไทย เริ่ม) in Thai actually means, "To start or to begin the fight!"

George held the trophy of World Grand-Champion for three months, and Alice claimed the title of Women's Champion for eighteen months.

Alice and George were featured in Short Movies as Mr. and Mrs. Tremendous. The intro to their cinemas declared them as Redeemers of the Right and Defenders of the Downtrodden. Their fighting scenes were choregraphed and the stories were fiction, but their fame persisted.

George, Bobby, Carl Alice, Betzy and Dianna could have talked all night, but all six had work to do the next morning.

Bobby asked, "Is there a particular reason for us to be together tonight?"

Alice stated, "George and I are sponsoring a world-wide Fraternal Fear challenge event or fight-off in the Stadium attached to the mall. We believe the week will bring a million dollars of extra income to county businesses and a boost in sales tax.

It will be televised and viewed around the world by tens of millions. Copies of the final match for the tournament will be put on eight and sixteen millimeter film. Half of the royalties from the tournament, TV rights, movie, comic books and films will go to The Respected Mothers Garden Club to help deprived and battered women."

"Where do Bobby and I fit in?

Alice said, "We believe you can be top contenders in the women and men divisions with three months of dedicated training. The commitment thrusts you beyond your physical endurance."

"Why us?"

"Nang Chom is not only my benefactor. She is a clairvoyant and observes future and past events. A revelation came to her naming you two as leaders in the project."

Bobby said, "Like my Momma, Lois, Paul and Betzy's Mother."

Betzy's lips tightened as she said, "We only received rumors about my Mom."

Bobby said, "My deceased wife Agnes said, "We will be patrons of helping others in a big way."

"She predicted we would become well known and very wealthy, but we would give ninety percent of what we made to help others."

"It is exactly what Nang Chom told us. She also expressed both of you are very caring and trustworthy. She did tell us both of you would place high, but you would not win the tournament."

Bobby said, "I hope we don't get big headed.

George smirked and said, "You will not have time to think how good you are. Your appeals will be, 'Why me?' We will start you off jogging differently than you have run. We do not want to interfere with the progress you have made. We will begin slowly and finish with speed. At first stamina is more important than rapidity. Balance progresses into a priority. Strength is next, and agility comes in a close third."

Hard Work - Bobby

Bobby complained, "Betzy, it seems like hard work. I am familiar with ranching which is physical. I depend on you and Amber for the accounting, billing and marketing. What gave the impression of fun is now work."

Betzy countered, "It's not exactly true. Bobby you are brilliant when it comes to figures and handling customers. Everyone who works with you loves you. You are just lazy when it comes to doing paperwork. So, we make sure invoices are sent out on time to our customers and bills are paid. We even send notices and reminders to your Guard members."

Alice laughing added, "Sounds comparable to George and me. Identical twins born twenty years apart."

There was enjoyment by all. Closeness assured them they were related by ideals and respect. Betzy's breath deepened. A warmth and calmness surrounded her.

The focus was for Bobby to gain strength in his right leg. Afterward, to work for endurance and balance.

The Thai ointment treatment and concentration to his right leg exercises brought tremendous power to Bobby's kicking. The upper and lower limbs were increasing in stamina daily.

They focused on kicking and hitting in the preparation phase. Family and friends discovered their training schedules. About fifty men, women, Mamma, Mrs. Mendez and Walt joined every morning at five a.m. in running and basic strength building. Carl and Dianna linked with the activities.

Encouragement came from every part of East Kentucky and the neighboring states. Some declared them as royalty. They prodded around the perimeter of the mall parking area. On rainy days they jogged inside. George said, "Speed is not our objective. Lasting three miles a day would build our staying power.

George said, "Each challenge includes two three minutes rounds in the ring with a two-minute break between. A third round proves necessary only when a tie or no win resulted at the end of the two segments. The third round is rarely evoked."

Seventy-five days of torture achieved both speed and quality in Betzy and Bobby's techniques. Their fighting amplified with swiftness and strength.