Deal Me In, Week 13 ~ “You Don’t Even Feel It”

Hosted by Jay @ Bibliophilopolis

“You Don’t Even Feel It”��by Lawrence Block

Card picked: Three of Diamonds

From: Murder on the Ropes

Thoughts: Keisha’s husband Darnell is a junior middleweight champion. After being married for twelve years with three daughters, Keisha was under the impression that Darnell would retire. He intends to, but not until after another two fights. He knows he can win these fights and tie-up another two belts. He’s in good health, at least on the outside. Keisha, though, notices his forgetfulness and the way he’s started to slur his words. “Getting hit upside the head? You don’t even feel it,” Darnell assures her, which isn’t reassuring at all.

This was not a great story. Boxing is, basically, a sport where two men* do damage to each other until one man can’t take it anymore. This leads to complications for everyone involved: the boxers, the boxing industry, and boxing fans. “You Don’t Even Feel It” handles this without any complexity and in a somewhat preachy manner. It doesn’t even scratch the surface.

*And women too. It will be interesting to see if any of the stories in this anthology include women.