((So it’s….been a while. Recently, life was upheaved in a pretty major way and I stepped away from writing for a long while. But, I’m back! And thought I’d share a very short intro to a new piece I’ve been working on periodically. I have more, and will post it over time, though the story is not quite finished yet. For now, I hope you enjoy and I hope a couple of people are happy to see me back!))
The Post
What I’m looking for:
I know this is going to sound strange to most, but hear me out.
It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good fight. I want another woman to go head to head with me. Not looking to seriously injure each other, but I want a good hard match. I miss the feeling of being punched and punching back. No hard feelings afterward! Let’s have dinner and drinks after we tussle! If this sounds interesting, just shoot me a message.
Olivia raised an eyebrow at the post. It was posted on an anonymous personals website, usually used for dating and hookups, but occasionally had an off the wall request or two. She raised an eyebrow at the post and started to scroll away, but found herself hesitating. She had to give it to this woman, she had guts putting a request like that out on the internet. And truth be told, she couldn’t help but feel curious.
Olivia had been in a small handful of fights in the past, and while she didn’t actively seek them out, there was certainly a sense of adrenaline and excitement that came with them that had never failed to bring her sheer elation after the fact, despite whether she won or lost.
She clicked on the profile.
The name was listed as simply “E”, and the user’s age was listed as 39. That made the other woman 18 years her senior. The woman’s profile picture was simply of her body from shoulders to feet in an appealing gym outfit. And the more she looked at the post, the more curious she became.
Olivia didn’t exactly know what made her click on the message button…she didn’t think she would be interested in the situation being proposed by the older woman, but she was intrigued.
“Out of curiosity, how does what you’re asking for work exactly?” She typed and hit send. The response came within seconds.
“Hi! Thanks for the message! Okay, so I know it probably sounds strange, but I want to have an honest to god fight with another woman. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed, and I haven’t had a good fight in a long time. Basically, we’ll meet…talk…and then we’ll, y’know… get to it. I’m open to rules or anything that would make you feel more comfortable.”
Olivia took her time before hitting reply. She had to admit, the idea had already captivated her. She didn’t know why, but Olivia had also not been in a fight in some time. And she remembered what a thrill it had been to come to blows with another woman. The idea of meeting someone for a consensual fight for the sheer thrill of it sounded appealing in a way she hadn’t expected it to.
“Okay. I think I like the sound of this. Does it bother you that you’re like…my mom’s age?” She sent.
“No, not at all. I’ve got a daughter your age. But it doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t bother you.”
“No, it doesn’t bother me.”
And so, Olivia began a long conversation with the other woman. They talked about rules, what would and wouldn’t happen when they met, and generally getting to know each other over the course of the day. They never shared their names, or pictures of their faces. The women seemed to have silently agreed to leave those things a surprise for when they met. And sure enough, before long, they had set a date, time and a location for the meeting.
“This is really exciting! I’m really glad you reached out to me! This is going to be so much fun!” The mystery woman sent after the details were nailed down.
“Yeah it is!” Olivia typed in response. “But it might not be too fun for you once we get started
”
“Oh, we’re trash talking now?
alright then little girl you just wait til I get my hands on you.”
And so, the following Saturday evening, Olivia pulled into the AirBnB that the two of them had split the cost of. She double checked the address that E had sent her, and took a deep breath as she looked at the cabin. E had already confirmed that she had arrived via Uber and was waiting with everything set up for them. They had been sure to rent a place that was entirely p lol rivate for them, and had no immediate neighbors to over hear what would be going on inside. She turned her ignition off, and stepped out of the car to march to the front door. No turning back now..
“Just come on in, the door is unlocked
” E had sent as soon Olivia had confirmed she was on her way. She checked her appearance, a black tank top and tight blue jeans which she wore over her sports bra and Lycra workout shorts which she intended to fight in. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She closed her deep green eyes for one second and took another deep breath before turning the door knob and walking inside.
“You made it!” Came a voice from a woman across the room who had her eyes down, pouring two glasses of red wine. Olivia froze, her eyes slowly widening in shock.
The woman was tall and fit as Olivia had expected. Her own hair, only a shade darker than Olivia’s was likewise pulled back into a small bun at the back of her head. Her outfit was almost identical to Olivia’s. Olivia felt her stomach turn and her face grew hot as she knew it was turning beet red now.
“Hope you don’t mind if we have a….drink….first….” The woman trailed off as she lifted her face to look at Olivia. And for the first time, Olivia locked eyes…
With her own mother.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” E asked. Olivia now knew that E was short for Eliza.
“I, uh…was about to ask you the same thing.”
“Oh…oh god, you’re not…” Eliza stammered. Olivia didn’t answer, she just slowly nodded, unable to form words.
“Oh no. Oh…SHIT.” Eliza’s face turned an even deeper red than Olivia’s at that point. “This was so stupid. I’m so sorry honey, let’s just go. You must think I’m an idiot.”
Olivia looked at her now panicking mom. She saw the embarrassment and hurt written all over her face. When her mother’s eyes welled with tears, Olivia noticed something else. It was clear that Eliza was feeling not only embarrassed, but DISAPPOINTED.
“Don’t…no mom I don’t think you’re stupid. I mean…I’m the one that messaged you first anyway.”
“Oh my god HOW did I not recognize you in that picture? Hell I bought you the bikini you’re wearing in it! I’m…let’s just go home and forget about this okay? I’m SO mortified.” Eliza said, almost about to openly cry. Olivia felt her heart give a pang. Her mom had done so much for her and her sister, had sacrificed everything for them. And now, when she finally did something for herself, it ended up like this. Her stomach did a little flip as she realized what she had to do, and she was about to risk being even more embarrassed herself. She had to be careful.
“Hey, uh…I mean we already paid for the cabin. It wasn’t cheap. You wanna just…drink some wine and relax? Come on, it’s okay.” She walked over and put her arm around her mother’s shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze.
“Y-yeah. Okay. I guess that sounds good.” Eliza have Olivia a brave smile, but there was still a look of disappointment there.
Two glasses of wine later, Eliza and Olivia were both feeling better, and the two of them were laughing and joking like they would any other time. They didn’t talk about the reason they had met tonight up until now. It seemed they both danced around it. But Olivia finally decided it was time to acknowledge it and get past it.
“So uh….i didn’t know you liked fighting.” She said with a little smile. Eliza’s face turned slightly pink again.
“Well…it’s just been a long time. I used to get into it with other girls all the time. Even one or two boys.” She sighed and looked pointedly down. “Guess I just kind of thought it would make me feel younger again.”
“I get it. It’s…kind of fun. I mean there’s a reason I reached out.” Olivia shrugged, feeling her chest tighten.
“Oh I know.” Eliza said with a shrug. “It was a crazy idea. This is the universe telling me I’m the world’s biggest idiot for trying this.”
“You’re not an idiot. You were trying to do something fun for yourself. So was I.” Olivia mimicked her mother’s shrug. Eliza looked up at her oldest daughter and smiled.
“I know. Thanks honey. I think I’m just going to delete that stupid post and forget all about it though.” Eliza sighed. Olivia felt another pang at the thinly veiled hurt in her mother’s voice. She didn’t know where it came from, but she suddenly started talking. She knew it was the right thing to do as soon as she began.
“Yeah…I think you should. Because you won’t need it after tonight. You’re getting your fight.”
Eliza looked up suddenly at Olivia, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open in surprise. Just where was this going?
