center of attention. Sam the Lab was just being a regular old dog when suddenly his life got spun around all crazy and it wasn’t even anything he did. I’m not sure what happened to him, but I’m betting he wound up on medication.
It didn’t make much sense to me that Howard would use me as a confidant. I didn’t feel like Howard and I had this super-tight bond. Then again, Howard probably didn’t have a lot of friends. You lop off a head or two in your youth and people never let you live it down.
I also had this fight in the Garden coming up. In my boxing career I’ve gotten used to being a short-notice fighter and I welcomed it. In the fight game there were always guys pulling out of fights for one reason or other. Sometimes it was injuries, sometimes it was contracts, and many times, despite what fighters will admit, it was fear. Sure, no one says, “Hey, I’m pulling out of this bout because I’m tired of shittin’ my pants all week and I don’t want to get punched in the head.” I was nervous enough to drop a pantload and I didn’t feel like getting my ass kicked by some million-dollar prospect, but for the chance to fight in the Garden—it was worth it.
I’ve had a difficult time concentrating lately, but with a full day of sessions I had to try to focus a bit. I say “a bit” because despite what some counselors will tell you, talking, or, more accurately, listening to someone for forty-five minutes isn’t exactly rocket science. My first session of the day was with Freddie Gleason, or, as everyone called him, Suda-Fred. Suda-Fred got his name from his drug of choice—Sudafed, the over-the-counter decongestant that has a stimulant effect upon the central nervous system, especially if you took ten at a time with a quart of coffee, which was what Suda-Fred would do. I didn’t need any fancy urinalysis tests to figure out if Fred had had a relapse. All I had to do was observe and listen as I greeted him in the waiting room.
“Hey Duff good to see you how’s everything? How’s the fight game? Man I love boxing—great game, great game, man I love boxing. How you doin’? You look good, any fights coming up? You like these sneakers? They’re new. You know what, you know what? Um, uh what was I just sayin’?” Suda-Fred exhaled all at once.
“Fred, have you—,” I tried to say.
“Have I what? Uh Duff, that really hurts, you think I’m back on that shit, wow that hurts Duff, man, man the Yanks win last night? Man, Duff, where’s the trust? Isn’t that what this is all about? Wow, heavy man. Those Yanks, man, it’s warm.”
Beads of sweat built up on Suda-Fred’s lip between his nose and the thin mustache. He was rail thin and his face was way more wrinkled than it should’ve been for a thirty-eight-year-old man. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he wore a red velour running suit.
“Fred, uh—”
“All right, all right Duff get off my ass will ya? It’s fuckin’ allergy season you know. Sorry, sorry, sorry for the bad language. I took a little today because of the snotty nose deal, really Duff, it was the snot, disgustin’ man, disgustin’ man. I took the blue ones, you know the 418s, they got that expectors in ’em or somethin’. Helps you get that snot out of your throat, disgustin’ man, disgustin’ man, sorry for the language, man,” Fred said.
“Coffee?” I asked.
“No I’m good, I’m good, don’t need no coffee Duff.”
“No, Fred. Have you had coffee?”
“C’mon, Duff, off my ass, geez, off my ass will ya? Uh, geez again with the language, sorry man, sorry. Sure, sure a little, you know that expressive kind at the Starbucks, the dark kind—is it warm?—shit I’m warm. Man, maybe it’s the velour, shit. Who the Yanks got tonight? Yeah Duff, expressive.”
“Espresso?” I said.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, probably made me hot—I’m not in trouble, am I? Duff you look in shape, you gotta fight comin’ up or something? I love boxing, love
It didn’t make much sense to me that Howard would use me as a confidant. I didn’t feel like Howard and I had this super-tight bond. Then again, Howard probably didn’t have a lot of friends. You lop off a head or two in your youth and people never let you live it down.
I also had this fight in the Garden coming up. In my boxing career I’ve gotten used to being a short-notice fighter and I welcomed it. In the fight game there were always guys pulling out of fights for one reason or other. Sometimes it was injuries, sometimes it was contracts, and many times, despite what fighters will admit, it was fear. Sure, no one says, “Hey, I’m pulling out of this bout because I’m tired of shittin’ my pants all week and I don’t want to get punched in the head.” I was nervous enough to drop a pantload and I didn’t feel like getting my ass kicked by some million-dollar prospect, but for the chance to fight in the Garden—it was worth it.
I’ve had a difficult time concentrating lately, but with a full day of sessions I had to try to focus a bit. I say “a bit” because despite what some counselors will tell you, talking, or, more accurately, listening to someone for forty-five minutes isn’t exactly rocket science. My first session of the day was with Freddie Gleason, or, as everyone called him, Suda-Fred. Suda-Fred got his name from his drug of choice—Sudafed, the over-the-counter decongestant that has a stimulant effect upon the central nervous system, especially if you took ten at a time with a quart of coffee, which was what Suda-Fred would do. I didn’t need any fancy urinalysis tests to figure out if Fred had had a relapse. All I had to do was observe and listen as I greeted him in the waiting room.
“Hey Duff good to see you how’s everything? How’s the fight game? Man I love boxing—great game, great game, man I love boxing. How you doin’? You look good, any fights coming up? You like these sneakers? They’re new. You know what, you know what? Um, uh what was I just sayin’?” Suda-Fred exhaled all at once.
“Fred, have you—,” I tried to say.
“Have I what? Uh Duff, that really hurts, you think I’m back on that shit, wow that hurts Duff, man, man the Yanks win last night? Man, Duff, where’s the trust? Isn’t that what this is all about? Wow, heavy man. Those Yanks, man, it’s warm.”
Beads of sweat built up on Suda-Fred’s lip between his nose and the thin mustache. He was rail thin and his face was way more wrinkled than it should’ve been for a thirty-eight-year-old man. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he wore a red velour running suit.
“Fred, uh—”
“All right, all right Duff get off my ass will ya? It’s fuckin’ allergy season you know. Sorry, sorry, sorry for the bad language. I took a little today because of the snotty nose deal, really Duff, it was the snot, disgustin’ man, disgustin’ man. I took the blue ones, you know the 418s, they got that expectors in ’em or somethin’. Helps you get that snot out of your throat, disgustin’ man, disgustin’ man, sorry for the language, man,” Fred said.
“Coffee?” I asked.
“No I’m good, I’m good, don’t need no coffee Duff.”
“No, Fred. Have you had coffee?”
“C’mon, Duff, off my ass, geez, off my ass will ya? Uh, geez again with the language, sorry man, sorry. Sure, sure a little, you know that expressive kind at the Starbucks, the dark kind—is it warm?—shit I’m warm. Man, maybe it’s the velour, shit. Who the Yanks got tonight? Yeah Duff, expressive.”
“Espresso?” I said.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, probably made me hot—I’m not in trouble, am I? Duff you look in shape, you gotta fight comin’ up or something? I love boxing, love
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