On the Ropes (Down for the Count) by Christa Cervone Page B

room.
    “We couldn’t wait to come see the place,” Frankie flicks his hand, indicating the gym.
    “You’ve got a really nice set-up here,” I add.
    “I’m so glad you like it, Saint. That really means a lot to hear that from you. Come, let me give you the official grand tour.”
    Both Frankie and I follow as Blaine takes the lead. He’s obviously proud of his gym, and with good reason. It’s extremely impressive; at least to me anyway.
    “So, obviously this is our main training room. We have all the heavy and speed bags back there,” he points to the back of the gym. “Our ring here,” he says next, pointing directly in front of him, “and behind you, all the cardio equipment.”
    “No more stair runs,” I grin.
    “Stair runs?” Blaine inquires.
    “At the Y, I actually run flights of stairs. It’s part of my training.”
    “Oh man, that must be a killer.”
    “Don’t get too used to that machine, kid. You’ll still be running the stairs. These machines can’t replace the real thing,” Frankie has a look of satisfaction on his face.
    “Shit,” I mutter under my breath.
    “We’re still waiting for our weights to come in. I was promised they’d be here later this afternoon. We’re getting top of the line Nautilus equipment. It should be set up and ready to use by opening day.”
    “Nice,” I smile at Blaine.
    “Come on, let me show you guys the locker room. You’re going to love it,” he waves us towards the back of the building.
    Blaine stops as we approach the entryway. “We actually have both a men’s and women’s locker room. We’re hoping to have women’s kickboxing classes a few times a week as well as having women in our boxing program. We were told by the state that women need a separate locker room. Both the locker rooms are identical in amenities but we made the men’s bigger,” he explains.
    Blaine pushes the door open, and we walk through. The locker room smells of fresh paint and is stark white in color, just like the rest of the gym. Everything is brand spanking new. There are six shower stalls; each is equipped with a small changing area, along with soap, shampoo, and conditioner dispensers. Lockers line the walls, with benches running through the middle of the room, dividing it in half.
    “Let me show you our sauna,” Blaine offers.
    Hidden in the back is a six-person sauna.
    As Blaine opens that door, the heat hits all of our faces. “Holy shit, that’s hot,” Frankie blurts out.
    We can barely keep our eyes open because they’re burning from the intense heat.
    “This will be a great place to sit and unwind after sparring, won’t it, Saint?” Blaine wonders aloud.
    “I have no clue. I’ve never been in one.”
    “Never?”
    “Nope, never,” I confirm with irritation. Does it look like I belong to one of his fancy country clubs that has a sauna?
    “Well I can assure you, you’ll love it.”
    I glance over at Frankie and roll my eyes.
    He grimaces back at me with his brow furrowing and his lip curled. I know that look… it’s his “shut the fuck up” look.
    Blaine closes the door to the sauna. “There’s one more thing I want to show you.”
    We follow him back out to the gym and walk along the back wall. I look around again, trying to take it all in. All this amazing equipment in one place. No more training at Frankie’s, then heading over to the Y, where I have to use their mediocre equipment. All of my training can be done right here.
    Blaine pauses at yet another door, “Remember how I told you we are going to have athletic trainers on site? Well, here’s their area,” he swings the door open and we peer inside.
    There are three sectioned off areas; each has a table and a small cabinet stocked with medical supplies.
    “Are you expecting a lot of injuries?” I raise an eyebrow at him.
    Frankie elbows me in the ribs to shut me up.
    Blaine turns around and smiles at us. “No, we just want to make sure everyone has a space if they need