Right Behind You

Chapter Forty-Two: I Said Hey What's Going On

"Twenty-five years and my life is still

Trying to get up that great big hill of hope

For a destination

I realized quickly when I knew I should

That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man

For whatever that means

And so I cry sometimes

When I'm lying in bed just to get it all out

What's in my head

And I, I am feeling a little peculiar

And so I wake in the morning

And I step outside

And I take a deep breath and I get real high

And I scream from the top of my lungs

What's going on?

-Lara Stevens (I said Hey What's Going On)

Kae:

Being back in San Antonio again was a weird feeling, the last time I was here I was in a completely different state than I was. I had been spiraling out of control with no hope of what my future would hold. Now here I was, the same street I had frequented for months under fooling myself that there wasn't anything wrong with me, like I hadn't fallen into a deep depression, that I didn't form a drinking habit to cope with my fluctuating moods. It felt like millenniums ago and I was back. Just for a little bit, I thought it would be nice to stop and see Hartley again, I did leave him with no prior warning he probably thought something had happened to me.

"So, this is where you spent your time in San Antonio?" Dubai looked around the downtown area curiously, it was different from where she grew up in Indonesia. I wasn't quite sure what she was thinking, but she seemed to be somewhat amused by the area.

I nodded, "Yeah... not for long though." I pointed to the Muay Thai boxing center. "I used to train there," I explained to her. Dubai's eyes lit up, "I got to meet the guy who made you into a beast and personally beat him up for teaching you how to beat me up." She joked as she followed me into the center.

We walked into the center and it was just like I remember it to be. Hot, humid, sweaty, and packed with men messing with each other on the mat as they practiced their moves on each other. I looked around with a smile on my face, I enjoyed my time here; even watching the guys was something I remembered enjoying fondly.

"Excuse me, ladies! You can't be in here unless you have a membership." Both Dubai and I turned around to greet the manager of the place, I smiled. "You think my membership expired?" I asked Coi.

Coi's face did a double-take at me when he realized it was me, he immediately ran over and engulfed me in a hug. I laughed and patted his back a few times before he let me go. "Kae! Is it really you." He grabbed me again in a tight hug.

"It's good seeing you Coi," I said once he let me go again.

He rubbed the back of his bald head and smiled, "I keep telling the new guys about how good you are and they think I'm lying. Like you're some sort of myth or something!" He explained to me.