Extreme Dare

In this sequel to Extreme Sumo, one man dares to try the sport

After the latest Extreme Sumo tournament was over, two black men sat among the silent audience watching the latest pair of female sumo wrestlers depart the ring and head to their respective dressing rooms. When a couple of the house lights came on, conversation resumed again.

“Whoa!” Isaac Watts said to his close friend, Isaiah Gilbert.

“Really something, huh?” Isaiah asked.

“Well it’s not like any sumo match I’ve ever seen. I thought that one woman was going to drill the others’ head through the ring.”

“You can see why it’s exciting.”

“I can see why it’s banned by most stables. Even most independents steer clear of it.”

“Well I have one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m going to try it.”

“What?”

Throughout their high school, college, and adult life, Isaiah and another friend, Ian, had a “Can You Top This?” contest. This would consist of things like bungee jumping, the Running of the Bulls, entering a Toughman competition, among others, some of them considered insane. Isaac, who considered himself the “sane” one of the trio, was to stand by and bear witness.

Isaiah stood 6’2” with an athletic build. His skin was dark brown, and had short black hair. He was a third-string quarterback on his football team in college, but though he didn’t see much action on the field, he felt he more than made up for it with these little adventures. Isaac stood 5’6” with a slim build, light brown skin, and slightly longer hair than his friend. He had a rather successful time in college playing on the schools’ golf and tennis teams, and now he leads a relatively quiet life as a librarian. Quiet, except for watching the crazy stunts his friends would perform. He did not consider himself a coward, he just thought he had a normal sense of self-preservation.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Isaac protested. “At least not this. Why not try a regular sumo match where they’ll push you out of the ring. These women here will tear your head off.”

“Nice idea, but too late for that now.”

“Too late? What do you mean?”

“I’ve already talked with them about it. The match will be ready this Friday.”

“Oh man,” Isaac moaned, putting his head in his hands.

Isaiah looked around to see that the place was almost deserted. “Come on, let’s see the woman I talked to,” he said as he left his seat. Isaac followed, hoping maybe these women would say no.

As they reached the dressing room entrance, they met a tall woman of Japanese heritage (for now, only heavyweight women of Japanese ancestry participated in Extreme Sumo), standing about 5’8”, dressed in a solid gray kimono. Her geisha wig was off, revealing long black hair placed in a bun. She still had the geisha whiteface on, concealing her identity, but not a small grin on her face, as if she knew something you didn’t, but she wasn’t going to tell you about it.

“Good evening Isaiah,” she said. “I see you still want to go through with this.”

“Yes I do, Isaiah perked up. “Oh Lin, this is my friend Isaac; he’ll be here to witness it.”

Lin looked at Isaac closely. “You look familiar,” she said.

“This is my first time here,” Isaac replied.

“No, no; where do you work?”

“The library.”

“Ah, at the reference desk and archives. Okay. Getting to the matter at hand, Isaiah, I have voiced your request to the other wrestlers, and one decided to take you up on your challenge. I am currently waiting for her to finish changing. As you have seen, she had a rough bout this evening.”

“For a moment, I thought I would have the privilege and honor of taking you on,” Isaiah laughed.

“No you would not,” Lin replied.

Isaac was curious about Lin’s response, but that was put aside as Gayla exited the dressing room. She stood about an inch and a half taller than Lin, and a little bigger. She reminded Isaac of an oriental version of She-Hulk, only she wasn’t green, but just as attractive (if drawn by the right comic book artist). Her straight black hair hung over her shoulders as she straightened her short blue kimono with white polka dots. She held a pair of zori sandals in one hand, but she was not yet decided about putting them on.

“Gayla, this is Isaac, and this is Isaiah, the one who made the challenge,” Lin said.

Gayla started looking Isaiah up and down, which reminded Isaac of how a mouse would see a big block of cheese. Or more like a cat would size a juicy mouse.

“Yeah, I would be taking you on,” Isaiah remarked in a voice dripping with pride.

“I . . . see,” Gayla replied in a voice dripping with . . . something, Isaac really didn’t really want to know.

“Since Gayla had a rough match, we can discuss the details of the match tomorrow, over dinner,” Lin said. Both Gayla and Isaiah looked at her, and she added, “It does take some time to set these things up.”

“What time tomorrow?” Isaac asked, more than a little relieved to get out of there.

“Eight o’clock,” Gayla said, her eyes never leaving Isaiah. “At the steak house.”

“Sounds good to me,” Isaiah replied.

“Agreed?” Lin asked, looking at Isaac. He nodded his head. “Very well, we’ll see you then.” She left, pulling Gayla with her into the darkness leading to an exit. Isaiah found himself escorted by Isaac to the main exit.

“I don’t know about you, but I have work in the morning,” Isaac said.

Later, as they drove home, Isaiah asked, “So what do you think?”

“I think Gayla wanted you for lunch,” Isaac commented.

“Well we’re meeting them for dinner tomorrow.”

“No, you don’t understand. I think she wants you for lunch, as in main course with knife and fork, if she uses utensils at all.”

“Oh come on, Isaac, it’s not that bad. You’re not afraid of muscular women, are you? She is attractive. It was that stare, wasn’t it?”

“The staredown I see in boxing and MMA, yeah, I know that look. This wasn’t one of them. And I met the players you played with in college, remember? The linebackers who were big enough to have their own zip code and could barely grunt their own name never bothered me. There was just something I don’t know, predatory about the look she gave you. Or maybe I’m just tired. We’ll find out all the details tomorrow.”

At the neighborhood library, Isaac was busy. There were some books on World Policy, a five-book set that would be available to put on the shelves. The question he pondered wasn’t of availability, but who would read them. Political fanatics, he supposed.

He looked at another book offer when he suddenly smelled a flowery scent. It suddenly appeared, like someone brought flowers into the library. He rose his head up to look for the source, and saw Lin standing in front of the desk. She was dressed in a purple kimono with white pinstripes. Her hair was still in a bun, but the geisha whiteface was off, revealing a pretty face, still wearing that sly grin of hers.

“How long have you been there?” Isaac asked.

“Not long. You were rather deep into your work,” Lin remarked.

“Normally I hear someone walking on the tile floor before they reach my desk. I must be losing my touch.”

Lin took a quick peek at the white tabi socks covering her feet. She never wore shoes in the library. “I’ve always had quiet steps,” she shrugged.

“What perfume are you wearing?”

“Cherry Blossom Festival. Like it?”

“Yes, very nice.”

“Thank you. Have you had lunch yet?”

“As a matter of fact, I was pondering where to go.”

Lin’s grin widened. “There’s a nice Mexican restaurant not far from here. My treat.”

“That’ll work.”

While they were eating, Isaac looked up at Lin. “I assume this lunch is about tonight’s meeting?” He asked.

“Yes; I wondered if you were able to talk your friend out of this foolishness,” Lin said.

Isaac snorted. “Fat chance of that, I gave up a long time ago.”

“So let me get this straight: Isaiah and your other friend Ian try to one up each other by doing these crazy stunts?”

“That sums it up, yes. One day in high school, the three of us saw a guy dunking a basketball. Ian said, ‘I could do that,’ and it started from there. Now we’re up to jumping out of airplanes, the Running of the Bulls, bungee jumping, and now this. I’m around to bear witness if the other ‘I’ can’t make it. We’re called the Three I’s for obvious reasons.”

Lin scooped up the rest of her refried beans with her soft taco. “So why haven’t you joined in the fun?”

“I like to call it common sense and self-preservation. Trying to dunk a ball or kick a field goal is one thing, being chased by bulls for no reason is another.”

Lin shook her head. “I can handle a two-hundred pound woman; I seriously doubt I could handle a two-thousand pound bull. The fact is, Isaac, is sumo wrestling is not something you just ‘do.’ You train for it like any other sport. You can get seriously injured in regular sumo, much less, or rather much more the extreme version Gayla and I practice.”

“So why do you do it?”

“It’s a challenge, and I like the added features. Maybe I have a sadistic bent. But at least I’m trained to do it.”

Isaac sipped his cola. “And you visit the library when you’re not wrestling?”

“Oh that. Actually when I’m not doing sumo, I’m an adjunct professor of World and Japanese History at the college. I’ve been in the library many times, usually wearing jeans.”

“Well that explains it. I would notice a kimono.”

“So besides knowing general things about the library, are there any topics one would hold that interests you, like literature, or science?” Lin asked.

“I guess I’m more drawn to history, general stuff, you know, whatever sounds interesting at the time,” Isaac replied.

“That’s generally how it starts with history. You ask yourself how something came to be, you dig a little to find out, and the next thing you know, you’ve almost learned everything about how a country was formed.”

“Really?”

“A friend of mine teaches church history at a Christian college up north. You’d think the subject is obscure, until she explains the large influence that religion had over a good deal of world events. And not all of it deals with war.”

“I never thought of it that way.”

“Most people don’t. They still think of boring textbooks in high school that barely scratch the surface. Extreme sumo was created by a historian. She wanted to bring the sport back to its original roots, but not necessarily to fights to the death. Again, it was the history that drew me.”

“Well I wish I can think of something that would not draw Isaiah to do this, but he and Ian are rather mule-headed.”

“Gayla has some terms she wants to lay on the table tonight. I’d rather both of you hear them from her.” She glanced at her watch. “We’d best be getting back.”

“Yeah. Thanks for lunch.”

“You’re welcome. Maybe we’ll do it again. Meanwhile, you can drop me off at my car.”

When he got back to work, Isaac wondered what terms Gayla had in mind. Maybe it’ll change Isaiah’s mind.

Doubt it, he thought, suppressing a snort.

The steakhouse, Isaac discovered, was the overall place where the towns’ regular lady sumo wrestlers come to eat after a home match. The restaurant, which was popular before, nearly increased its business tenfold. And no wonder; Lindsay, the local stable owner, had one of the largest stables in the Midwest, possibly the country. More hungry sumotori to feed prompted the place to expand the building, and staff, and the menu.

Isaac smiled to himself. A little internet research does wonders.

The two women were already at a table waiting for them. Lin wore a royal purple kimono, while Gayla wore one in blood red. Lin still kept her hair in a bun, while Gayla had hers hang over her shoulders.

Isaiah dressed up a little for the occasion with a blue sport coat, matching slacks, an open-necked white Oxford shirt, and black loafers. Isaac felt a little underdressed in his work outfit of blue slacks and a blue polo shirt, covered by a gray sweater with casual shoes. But this meeting wasn’t about him anyway, so perhaps no one will notice.

Isaiah greeted the ladies, and then delivered a remark in Japanese. Unfortunately, it didn’t achieve the desired effect. Lin’s eyes narrowed, while Gayla gave him a blank look.

“I thought you ladies in your fine kimonos would like a proper greeting in your native language,” he purred.

“I wouldn’t know, I’m from Cleveland,” Lin said frostily.

“I’m from here,” Gayla shrugged. “I’ve only seen Japan in movies,” she giggled.

“But your kimonos, they-” Isaiah sputtered.

“Our kimonos are either ordered, or purchased at a custom store,” Lin interrupted. “What you did is similar to my assuming because you have an afro means you speak Swahili.”

“Sorry.”

“I, we wear kimonos because they’re comfortable.”

“Besides, you can hide quite a few things under a kimono,” Gayla added. Lin turned and gave her a stern look. Gayla just grinned.

“What did you say to them, Isaiah?” Isaac asked.

“He said we were red hot mana-san,” Lin interrupted again.

Isaac sighed. “You got it from one of your martial art movies, didn’t you? All the books we have on conversational Japanese, and you went with, with . . .”

“Wrath of the Ninja, a cult classic,” Lin jumped in.

“I appreciate the compliment,” Gayla replied.

“Sorry,” Isaiah said to Lin.

Isaac thought he heard Lin to say under her breath, “You will be,” but out loud, she said, “It’s fine. Let’s make our order.”

After food was ordered, and conditions were calmer, Lin got started. “Now Isaiah, I understand you will be doing this for the thrill, and to be one-up on Ian. That is the only reward,” she said.

“That is correct,” Isaiah replied.

“Those are your terms. Gayla’s are much . . . different.”

“How so?”

“If Gayla wins, or when she wins as she said, she gets you.”

“Pardon me, I’m the prize?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“What, what would you do with me?” Isaiah laughed uneasily.

Lin diverted her eyes downward as she replied, “Mr. Gilbert, I’d rather not discuss such vivid details in a public restaurant.”

Isaiah then directed his gaze to Gayla, who smiled hungrily, and said, huskily, “Forget the match, I want to do it now!”

Isaac grew pale and nearly dropped his knife and fork. He placed them on his plate, lest he cut himself slicing his steak.

“You’re joking, right? Of course he’s handsome – that’s what the ladies say anyway – but you really don’t mean that, do you?” He said.

“Isaac, I am deadly serious. Gayla thinks your friend is ‘hot,’ and cannot wait to get her hands on him. The only reason I’m speaking for her is I want to keep the conversation PG-rated,” Lin explained.

Isaiah’s cockiness finally shown through, and he blurted to Gayla, “Sumo or not, it’s going to take a lot to throw me on the ground.”

Gayla looked at him and said, “You on the ground, that’s the way I like it.”

“Gayla!” Lin said in a hushed tone.

“How about we talk about something else, like the weather, sports, politics, something?” Isaac offered.

“You really think you’re something, don’t you?” Isaiah said to Gayla.

“Come and get me, big black man,” she purred, licking her lips after eating a piece of steak. She made a subtle gesture with her index finger, pointing at him, then the steak, then her mouth.

“Gayla, behave yourself! Now Isaiah, do you still want to do this?” Lin asked.

“Yeah, it looks like your friend needs a little lesson in manners, Lin,” Isaiah replied. “It’s on now.”

Both Lin and Isaac groaned.

“I have a lot to teach you, Isaiah,” Gayla remarked, “starting with who’s on top.”

“Gayla, please!” Lin pleaded. Gayla just sat and chewed her steak suggestively, looking at Isaiah. Isaiah decided to direct his attention to his dinner. Isaac regained his composure and did the same. “Now Isaiah, since you are new to this, we will go to a training facility to teach you the basics.”

“Yes, one can learn plenty of moves,” Gayla hissed.

Lin turned to her. “When I say ‘we,’ I mean Isaiah, Isaac and I. Until the match, I’m not putting you two together.”

“Actually I won’t be going either,” Isaac admitted. “The next two evenings, I’ll be helping Kevin in Archives on a project. However, Ian will be available to help Isaiah out. I’ll tell him.”

Isaac could almost feel Lin’s laser-like glare on him as he finished his dinner. Without missing a beat, he picked up his desert menu to deflect her gaze.

“Very well then,” Lin sighed after a long pause. “I will pick you and Ian up, Isaiah, in front of the place where we had our last match. Around seven o’clock.”

“Why don’t you tell me, and I’ll meet you there?” Isaiah said. “Oh, that’s right, it’s a top secret thing, I forgot.”

“No offense, Isaiah, but you are a man. There are many out there who would love to get this information, most of them male. They would love to exploit it. Not to mention, there’s a few from the regular stables who’d love to shut us down. I’m sure you can keep a secret, but I rather be cautious on this.”

“No problem.”

“Okay. Well, it looks like Isaac is ordering desert, so I think I will too. And Gayla, limit your remarks to what’s already on the menu, please.”

The next day, Isaac was busy at his desk. The truth was Kevin had things well at hand in Archives, but they didn’t know that. Just the same, he’ll hang around and talk in case anyone checks. He wanted to ask him about a 6’4” lady carpenter who seemed to hang around the place a bit lately, and wondered if he knew anything about it.

The previous night was just getting a little too crazy for his tastes. He’ll just be there for the match to bear witness like he’s always done, but that’s it. Being around Gayla was like dealing with a shark or a man-eating tiger, he wasn’t sure which. She spooked him, and he wasn’t afraid to admit it.

This time his nose detected the presence first. A scent like fresh linen approached his nostrils. He looked up and saw Lin dressed in a white kimono with blue stripes. And she wasn’t smiling.

“Come with me, please,” she said by way of introduction.

It was lunchtime anyway, so why not? The librarian noticed Lin had the professor role down pat. He almost felt like he was in trouble for bad grades, or poor conduct in class. Despite Lin’s kimono, Isaac found himself almost trotting to keep up with the woman.

“There’s a Chinese restaurant a few blocks from here. We’ll take my car,” Lin said.

That was the last word she said until she made her order. When the food arrived, she poured Isaac and herself some tea, and looked at him.

“I have been a regular patron at your library even before I became a lecturer at the college. You can say I even know it inside and out,” she began.

“Really?” Isaac replied, bracing himself for impact.

“And I also know how thorough a job Kevin does in Archives, without anyone’s help.” That was said with enough frost to fog up a windshield.

“So what are you saying?”

“I need you, no, I want you, no, you are going with us to training tonight.”

“Now wait a minute!”

“Isaiah and this Ian fellow are your friends, and your responsibility. Your part in this silly affair is to bear witness, right? So you need to drop your plans, which aren’t that important anyway, and come along. Better yet, I’ll come by and pick you up at the library a half-hour early. And you better be there.”

“Will Gayla be there?” Isaac asked weakly.

“Absolutely not; I have enough trouble with just one of the two. I shudder to think about putting those two together tonight.”

“But I thought Gayla is a good friend of yours.”

“She is, but I didn’t know she had this particular kink about her.”

“What kink? That she likes black guys?”

Lin gave him an annoyed look. “Absolutely not! I am mildly offended you said that. No, I’m talking about what she wants to do with him after she wins.”

“Okay, I’m sorry for that remark. But really, how bad could it be?”

Lin bent over the table, prompting Isaac to do the same. She then spoke in his ear. One of the advantages of being black is no one can see you blush. If so, Isaac’s face would’ve been beet red.

“You understand now,” Lin said.

“Oh yeah. I’m still rattled by how she plans on using barbeque sauce and . . . never mind. Speaking for myself, I don’t want to be anywhere near her. I guess you still want me to talk him out of it.”

“I think that’s a forgone conclusion. But I should not bear the burden alone.”

Isaac exhaled. “All right, I’ll come,” he said.

“You make it sound like you have a choice,” Lin remarked.

“With all due respect, Lin, I’m a grown man. I make my own decisions.”

“Well I’ll put it this way: make sure you’re at the library when I pick you up, or I will be very upset.”

Attempting to defuse things a little, Isaac said, “You don’t seem like the type to get upset so easy.”

Lin, who had been eating with plastic chopsticks the whole time, held them for a moment like she would snap them in two. Then she relaxed slightly, and her sly grin returned. “Then for your sake, you should not find out.”

Ian Johnson, the third member of the “Three I’s,” stood in between his friends in height (about 5’9”), and complexion. His skin was medium brown, and he had his hair set in a wave, similar to how the actor Billy Dee Williams styled his. He and Isaiah were standing in front of the place where Isaac and Isaiah saw a match earlier.

“So this woman said she was going to chew you up like steak, huh?” Ian said.

“She didn’t tell me, she just used her finger and pointed,” Isaiah replied. “Her trash talk was so good, I almost took her serious last night. Lin and Isaac almost had a cow, though.”

“Well Isaac never liked that trash talking stuff; he just wants to go on with it. Lin seems like she’s wound a bit too tight though.”

“She wasn’t at first. Maybe something happened. Ah, here she is now.”

As Lin’s car pulled up, both men were surprised to see Isaac in the front passenger seat.

“Isaac, I thought you’d be at the library tonight,” Isaiah said.

“Turned out Kevin wasn’t going to be as busy as I thought he was,” Isaac replied as they got in the car.

Isaac still wasn’t too sure why Lin was so upset at him, but he reasoned after that Friday, the three of them were going to have a nice long talk about these little bouts of insanity.

“I considered blindfolding all three of you, but that might draw attention for one to see a woman driving with three blindfolded men. Besides, after tonight and tomorrow, I am convinced that you’ll never see this place again,” Lin said.

“Hello Lin, I’m Ian; pleased to meet you,” he said.

“Yes Ian; I’ve heard so much about you. Tell me, did you enjoy yourself running from bulls?” Lin asked.

“It was all right. We had a nice visit of Spain though.”

“I understand the scenery is real nice, if you’re not busy running.”

Isaac snickered as he saw Ian nod his agreement, and Lin had that sly smile on her face. Isaac was stationed someplace safe where he could see the action. Ian later concluded that those Spaniards were crazy for running through their hometown chased by angry cows. Isaiah found it exciting, and wanted to do it again. Both men considered leaving him there.

“So do you plan to do this next, Ian?”

“No ma’am.” Suddenly Ian felt like he was in school again. “Sumo is a nice sport and all, but I don’t think I want to try this version of it.”

“Don’t forget to raise your hand if you need to use the restroom,” Isaiah joked.

“There’s no need for that, Isaiah,” Lin said. “Ian was just showing me proper respect. Ian, just call me Lin. We’re not in the classroom.”

“Yes ma-I mean, yes, Lin.”

“For someone to gain my respect, they have to earn it,” Isaiah popped off.

“Have I not earned your respect, Isaiah?” Lin asked.

Isaac and Ian inwardly moaned. Isaiah was in his “bad man” mode.

Isaiah started stroking his chin slowly. “I’m not sure. The jury is still out on that.”

“Fair enough. Do you respect Gayla?”

“I believe so.”

“You should. It’s wise to respect one’s opponent. Especially when they may have something in store for you.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Just saying. Here we are.”

The building they arrived at was apparently a gym. It seemed to be a small gym that was privately owned, and it seemed to be closed for the day, from what the appearances indicated. Lin got out of her car, and walked up to the front door, followed by her three male guests. The men expected her to knock, but instead, Lin withdrew a key to unlock the door. After that, she stepped aside to let the men in. She closed the door and locked it. They were clothed in the semi-darkness of the lobby. There was also one door with a bright light shining through it. Lin headed toward it as she began her lecture.

“Gentlemen, this is just one of the places where those involved in Extreme Sumo work out and practice,” Lin said. “”This is one of the few stable locations. Most are ‘floating,’ meaning the location changes from one week, sometimes one day to the next.”

The four passed by a stocky woman in a black swimsuit performing a clean and jerk with a barbell. Lin gave her a nod, while the woman grunted back.

Examining the weight equipment, Isaiah asked, “Is this where you work out, Lin?”

Ignoring his question, Lin continued. “Now Extreme Sumo, being a, I won’t say ‘banned’ sport, but a sport some say is suspect, is composed of different types of women. Most of them choose to be anonymous for several reasons. That explains the geisha makeup. The rest don’t have anything to lose socially, but they do it anyway.

“Some people would really stand out if they were the only ones wearing makeup,” Ian said.

“Good point, Ian. Among the wrestlers, there are those who do it part-time, like myself. Of course, I have a day job, and I like teaching. Those make up the majority.”

They stopped in front of a sumo ring. Instead of sand, the ring was what looked like a ring used in professional wrestling matches. In the ring were two tall muscular Japanese-American women. One wore a blue leotard, while the other wore a red one. Both had white practice sumo belts. The blue woman had long curly hair, while the red woman had hers permed and covered with a white headband. Both had taken turns grabbing each other by the belt, and throwing each other across the ring. Lin stopped and gestured to them.

“Then we have those who perform this sport full-time, on a semi-professional status. This is all they do. Gentlemen, may I introduce to you the Nobodies!”

Both women raised their hands in greeting and salute.

“The Nobodies?” Isaac asked.

“They’re not famous, they’re not a standard sumo wrestler who could be banished, and they have nothing to lose. I didn’t create the term,” Lin explained. “Shelly, in red, and Lola, in blue, volunteered to take time out of their regular exercise routine to teach you some basics, Isaiah.”

Isaiah looked at the ladies, then at Lin dumbly. “What basics?” He asked.

“How to fall, how to throw, and how to put your opponent off balance.”
“I can’t just push her out of the ring?”

Isaac and Ian sighed, Lola and Shelly giggled, while Lin just shook her head.

“There are around ninety different techniques in sumo wrestling, Isaiah,” Lin patiently explained while gesturing to the ladies to continue their practice. “Ninety; and that’s regular sumo. You’ll need to learn how to fall so you won’t break anything if or when Gayla throws you.”

“Lin, you forget, I played football.”

“Isaiah, you forget, this is not football. You don’t have ten men up front to protect you. It will just be you and her. And all you’ll wear is a mawashi, no pads and no helmet.”

“In football, we’re used to being banged up; it’s part of the sport.”

“You were a quarterback, who spent most of our time evading your attackers until you get rid of the ball. This is not football, Isaiah; this is sumo, where you face your opponent head on. It’s night and day.”

“No big deal, I’ll just take the girl out, especially after trying to mess with me,” Isaiah laughed.

Lin’s face remained calm, though one could see her body clinching with tension. “Isaiah, that ‘girl’ is one of the most brutal in our stable. She does not play nice. A few that she has hospitalized can testify to that. If you want to stand at least a chance against her, you’ll need a few pointers.”

Isaiah looked at his surroundings, and gave Lin a cocky smile. “So you think I’ll need this, babe?” He asked.

“Yes I do, and if you call me ‘babe’ again, I will take your face and-”

“Isaiah, at least do some stuff for a little bit, fifteen minutes, or an hour or so,” Isaac interrupted, before things got messy. “What could it hurt?”

Isaiah paused for a moment, considering his answer. Even Lola and Shelly stopped for a moment. Finally, he said, “Nah, I’m fine. Let’s go eat, huh?” And he left.

The two wrestlers shook their heads and got back to throwing each other. Ian shrugged his shoulders to everybody and no one, and followed after him. Lin stared at the departing former football player, and then started to leave.

She stopped and turned to Isaac, saying in a low voice, “Your friend deserves whatever he’ll get.”

Isaac sighed, shook his head, and left.

The next day at work was a welcome relief for Isaac. The drive back to the library was as quiet as the tomb, and about as cold. Only Isaiah was oblivious to the atmosphere, but at least he had the good sense to keep his mouth shut, lest Lin threw him out of the car while it was still moving.

Finally lunchtime arrived, and Isaac leaned back in his seat, almost falling out of it when he saw Lin standing not too far from him. He didn’t even catch the scent of her perfume. She was dressed in a blue and white striped kimono, which reminded Isaac of a bathrobe, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. She had a solemn look on her face.

“I wasn’t expecting you after . . . you know,” Isaac began.

“There’s a café three blocks from here. Let’s go,” Lin said as she turned and left.

At the café, when they received their food, Isaac said, “Again I apologize for Isaiah’s behavior. Sometimes he gets in these cocky moods, and . . .” Lin waved him off.

“Yes, yes, you’ve done that twice last night, and it still doesn’t excuse his arrogance,” Lin replied.

“Well this has gone out of proportion. Just a little sumo match on a little dare.”

Lin looked at Isaac, and said in a low voice, “Don’t tell me he has you deceived too?”

“I mean-”

“This is not regular sumo, Isaac. Your friend is going to get hurt, and worse. I know you saw what goes on in these matches, and I know you know Gayla is not bluffing. I warned him, now what happens tomorrow is on his head. I washed my hands of the matter.”

“Has Gayla done this type of thing before?”

“I . . . don’t know, and I’m not sure I want to. I asked her a similar question, and she just gave me a cold smile. This was well after she volunteered, and saw who she would be taking on. She seems to be . . .”

“A closet predator?” Isaac chimed in.

“Very much in heat. She had left the ‘closet’ a long time ago.”

“Does this sport attract people like this?”

“No, otherwise I wouldn’t do it. I heard there’s a Russian sumo wrestler who insists on bedding a man after a match, sometimes after a hard practice.”

“There’s men who do that all the time.”

“I’m not finished. She would do this, whether the men consent to it, or not.”

“Oh.”

“She’s a heavyweight, at 6’4”, and close to 260 pounds, I think, and strong, though not the strongest in her stable. That’s in regular sumo. You find people like that everywhere. I just didn’t expect one of them to be my friend. But I don’t want to talk about that.”

“Oh; so what do you want to talk about?” Isaac asked.

“History, of course!” Lin replied with a smile. “There was some thoughts on African-American history I wanted to bounce off of you.”

And so, they had a pleasant lunch, chatting about history, historical events popular and lesser known, and what made some historical members tick. Finally, they returned to what would happen that Friday.

“I will not be at the library tomorrow, for I have to get things prepared for Friday night,” Lin began. “So for Friday, here’s what you’ll need to do. You’ll need to arrive at the same place about an hour and a half early at least. There will be three kimonos and mawashi waiting for you.”

“Mawashi? But I’m not wrestling?” Isaac objected.

“You’re not; you and Ian will serve as Isaiah’s seconds. It’s only a ceremonial thing. There are also zori sandals available if you need them. The extra time will be so our makeup artist can paint your face.”

“Paint my face?”

“Remember, anonymity is very important in this event. I know you’ll stand a chance of being spotted by one of your patrons as much as I would be spotted by one of my students. But those are the rules. Finally, throughout the whole match, from the time you enter the ring, to the time you leave, the three of you are to be totally silent. That may be a little hard for Isaiah, I’m sure, but he can do it. Any questions?”

“Only of Isaiah’s sanity. But other than that, I got it. I’ll tell them right away,” Isaac said.

“Good. Well we better get back,” Lin replied, looking at her watch.

Lin dropped Isaac off at the library. As Isaac got out of the car, he said to Lin, “Well it’s been nice having lunch. I guess we’ll see each other in the ring.”

Lin slowly nodded. “I guess we will. Goodbye Isaac,” Lin replied as she drove off.

Friday for the most part was uneventful. It was a little unusual for Isaac to not see a kimonoed woman standing in front of his desk around lunchtime, but he got over it. After work was over, he came home to rest for a bit, then picked up Isaiah and met Ian for a light dinner.

“I have to wear one of those things?” Ian said.

“And the whiteface too. We’re going to be Isaiah’s seconds,” Isaac replied. “It’s a ceremonial thing.”

“So I’m going to walk in front of all those folks half-naked, while my face is done up like a clown.” Ian turned to Isaiah. “You better win.”

“I got it in the bag,” Isaiah said smugly.

“You better; I thought Lin was going to put that bag over your head for the way you treated her the other night. Why’d you dis her like that?”

“She’ll get over it. She’ll need to get over herself, talking about how bad her friend is, and how sumo is tougher than football. Give me a break!”

“I think she was saying that the two were different, so injuries would be different, not one being better than the other. And she stressed that we are to be absolutely quiet from the time we enter the ring to the time we leave. Can you do that?” Isaac corrected in a weary voice.

“Yeah I can do that. What’s with you?”

“The least you can do when you do someone else’s sport is at least give some respect. And those women don’t play around.”

Isaiah paused for a moment, and then said, “All right, I’m sorry. I just got carried away, you know?”

“Well you need to apologize to Lin. Boy, you could almost see smoke coming out of her ears,” Ian said as he checked the time. “All right, let’s do this. Isaiah, you never told us why you wanted to do this, aside from it being a challenge.”

Isaiah shrugged. “After I saw some sumo, and this extreme stuff, I thought how hard could it be? I could beat them easy.”

“Let’s go,” Isaac moaned as they got up and headed for the door. He thought about saying he had a bad feeling about the whole thing, but only one of them would take his word for it. And it wouldn’t be the one who needed to hear it.

The first sensation that Isaac felt in his new outfit was chilly. It wasn’t until he grabbed his kimono and threw it on that he felt something resembling warmth. He never gave the face paint a second thought until he glanced in a mirror and startled himself. That gained a good-hearted laugh from the other two men.

“This gives me an idea for Halloween. I’m going to have my face painted like this, go to my nephews’ house, knock on the door, and say ‘Boo!’ to the first person who opens the door,” Isaiah said.

“I think that’d work,” Ian replied. “If Isaac didn’t do it already, I think I would’ve scared myself too.”

“I wonder if sumo wrestlers carry that extra bulk to keep them warm? Before I put that kimono on, I was freezing. Isaiah, you won’t be wearing one once you get started,” Isaac said.

“I’ll be wrestling another warm body, so I’ll be all right,” Isaiah replied.

A woman two inches shorter than Isaac, but with the build of a Sherman tank, poked her head with whiteface in the door, and said, “Come.”

Even Isaiah saw that this was a woman that brooked no argument as the three men straightened their kimonos, adjusted their wigs (they had to wear those too), and quietly shuffled out the door.

The march to the ring felt eerie, thought Isaac. Later he would swear he heard them breathing. A thousand eyes seemed to burn into him as he walked, and kimono or not, he felt naked standing in the ring. The trio stood there for another long minute, and then it was the ladies’ turn.

They arrived, walking barefoot on the cold floor. If they were chilly, they shown no evidence of it. In their whiteface, they looked even more serious if that was possible. Despite the makeup, Isaac could recognize Lin, and Gayla. The third woman he never saw before. She stood a little shorter than the other two, and if memory served him correctly, her name was Sandy. He felt the urge to nod in greeting, but everyone stood still.

The referee, a woman also in whiteface appeared. She was a tall woman, dressed in a white blouse, white skirt, and white hose with no shoes. She made a slight gesture with her right hand, and Gayla started to take off her kimono. Isaiah took the hint and disrobed as well.

It was one thing to see these sumo wrestlers at a distance. It was another thing to see them dressed in kimonos that covered everything. But it was another thing entirely to see them up close in the flesh. Gayla wore a dark purple sports bra with her matching mawashi, and was frighteningly buff. It was sort of a surprise for Isaac, and glancing over, he saw it was for Isaiah too.

“Holy . . .” Ian started to whisper, but remembered his vow of silence and stopped himself. He glanced over at Isaiah and again wondered what was wrong with him. He quickly reasoned it was time to stop this contest before things got really bad.

The referee gestured again, and both combatants approached the two lines drawn in the ring. Isaac saw the look in Gayla’s eyes as she stared at Isaiah, and wished he were someplace else. A hungry cat was all he could think of. He also remembered this was the last match of the evening, which increased the tension. Isaiah didn’t try to match her stare, instead making sure he had his stance right. They each planted one fist in the dirt, when he raised his head to look at Gayla. She gave him an intense look, and licked her lips. It took Isaiah a whole second to recover from it as he slowly planted his other fist.

An eternity passed before the referee said the only word that would be heard in the match: “Go!”

Isaiah rose up to attack his foe, but he was still reacting with the instincts of a football player delivering a block. He realized he was too high. Gayla seized him around the waist, and jerked up. Suddenly Isaiah found himself lifted in the air, before Gayla slammed him on his back. The softness of the sand was just enough to keep Isaiah from blacking out. His limbs felt like he was encased in mud as he rose. This version of sumo allowed for two falls, and he was now behind by one fall. He had to get up.

Suddenly two arms wrapped around his head and squeezed. He tried to pry her arms loose, but they were like steel cable, plus he was halfway up, suspended, leaving his neck more vulnerable. Spots appeared, and Isaiah gave one more attempt to get free before his world turned black.

Gayla gently laid Isaiah on the floor of the ring, long enough for the referee to declare her the winner.

Over in a matter of seconds.

After the referee lowered her hand, Gayla bent down and draped Isaiah over her shoulder. With just a nod of her head to her seconds, she started back toward her dressing room.

Ian and Isaac were both in shock. The audience headed for the exits, despite the spectacle they just saw. Isaac shook off the fog in his head, and trotted after Gayla in an attempt to do something to stop her. The plan was short-lived when Lin and Sandy stepped in front of him, blocking his way. Neither woman said anything, but Lin slowly shook her head. After a moment or two, both turned around and headed to the dressing rooms themselves.

Ian grasped Isaac’s arm, and gestured toward their dressing rooms. Isaac glanced at the retreating women, then turned and went to the dressing room to get dressed.

“It didn’t even last a minute,” Isaac said quietly as he tied his shoes. “She just threw him down, took him out, then carried him off.”

“I know, Isaac, I was there,” Ian replied. “I’m not sure I believe it, but I saw it.”

“We got to do something, Ian! Right now, Isaiah is having something done to him.”

“I have no doubt. But you know what I’m going to do, Isaac? I’m going to put on my coat, get in my car, and go home. Once I’m there, I may watch a little TV, then go to bed.”

“You’re just going to leave him?”

Ian picked up his coat and pulled it on. “You remember when we traveled to Spain for the Running of the Bulls? Of course you do, how could you forget? When I had those bulls on my heels, I asked myself, why am I doing this? Then I got an answer, saying I don’t know, but you need to stop before you get yourself killed, fool!

“Isaiah said he never felt more alive. I was thankful to just be alive. That’s why you haven’t heard very many dares from me. I thought Isaiah would get the hint. I should’ve known better. But he volunteered to do this stunt, and he still wanted to do it, despite Lin trying to tell him not to, and that woman telling him she’s going to have him for dinner. He asked for it. I’m going home.”

“I can’t go, I’m his ride home,” Isaac replied.

“I don’t think he’ll be coming home tonight,” Ian said as he left.

Isaac left the dressing room, and wandered back to the sumo ring where the matches were held. The spotlights highlighting the ring were still on, though no one was there, save for a lone janitor cleaning the rows of seats. Isaac was told he was compensated very well for his trouble and silence, which probably explained the happy tune he hummed to himself.

He found a bench where the wrestlers sit during their regular tournaments, and sat down. He didn’t know what else to do. Ian was right about all that nonsense coming to an end, but it was never expected to end like this.

In the distance, he saw someone walking in his direction. It was Lin. She was still in white face, and her expression was serious as she approached him.

“I bring a message from Gayla,” she started. “Go home, or suffer the same fate.”

“The same fate? What is she doing to him?” Isaac demanded.

“If it’s what she said she would do, I’d rather that shouldn’t happen to you. He asked for this, Isaac, despite my, despite our efforts to steer him away. Now he’s paying the price. I didn’t know she would be so loud.” She sighed. “Go home Isaac; there’s nothing more you can do tonight.” She turned and walked back to the dressing room.

It felt strange when Isaac returned home. It was almost as if he knew of a rape in progress, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. Isaiah was a man he knew who could normally take care of himself. However, from what he saw of Gayla, he may have met his match. He wouldn’t want to face her, especially if she was . . . hungry.

He got up from his chair, and prepared to leave the living room when he heard a knock on his door. Who could it be at this hour, he wondered as he opened the door. It was Lin.

“Hello, Isaac,” she said as she stepped in unannounced. As she took off her black leather coat, it revealed a fluffy green sweater, blue jeans, and brown slip-on shoes. She sat down on the couch, and pulled off her shoes, revealing fluffy green socks. Her hair was down, flowing over her shoulders. Isaac noticed her shoulders were broad, and her arms were big. Come to think of it, so were her legs.

“Uh, what may I do for you?” Isaac said, closing the door. It was cold.

“I just wanted to talk for a bit, to see how you’re doing,” Lin replied with her usual grin. “Have a seat.” She patted the cushion beside her.

“How did you know where I live?”

“I hang around the library, remember? It was easy. I didn’t even need to use the Internet. Especially when you read your mail at work.”

“Oh. Well I’m afraid I’m not really in a mood to talk right now. Maybe some other time.”

Lin’s grin never vanished. “Isaac, I really must insist you have a seat. Don’t make me force you. I’m stronger than you are. If you run, I’ll catch you. But we really don’t want to go to all that trouble, do we? Now have a seat, please.”

Isaac slowly walked over and sat down.

“That’s better. Now, how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, but its Isaiah I’m wondering about,” Isaac blurted.

“The first word that comes to mind would be deflowered, but I bet that doesn’t apply to him, does it? Maybe a little violated, but I’ll find out in time. Meantime, she has gave him permission to go to work, and to drop by his place to pick up a few changes of clothes every now and then.”

“What are they going to be doing in all that time?” Isaac asked.

Lin just grinned and got up, heading toward the balcony. She opened the doors and walked out to see the view. Isaac’s third floor apartment offered a nice view of the city, especially at night.

“Gayla’s match was a little brutal, but it was fascinating to watch,” she said. “Then I realized you haven’t seen any of my matches. We’ll have to fix that.”

“Lin, what are you doing out there in your stocking feet? It’s cold outside, you’ll catch a cold!” Isaac barked.

Lin’s grin became a small smile as she returned, closing the doors of the balcony, and walked back to her seat. “Heh. ‘Catch a cold,’ as if that was true. That is nothing. Let me tell you a little secret, Isaac. Do you know why you never heard me coming at the library? Because I wasn’t’ wearing any shoes, just socks. I never wear shoes at the library, or much at school, either. Just my socks. The only reason I wore shoes tonight was I didn’t want to freak you out too soon.” She gave Isaac a mischievous grin.

“Well that would explain it,” Isaac remarked. “You moved so quickly, but I never hear anything. I never thought to look down.”

“There’s an Indian teacher who wears a sari all the time. And like in India, you can guess what she wears on her feet. We get together, compare notes, and laugh at everybody else who doesn’t have a clue. But now back to the matter at hand, you never saw me in a match.”

“From what I saw the last two times, how is it any different?”

“From what I’m told, I’m much more brutal.”

“What?”

“Neither Gayla nor Sandy will take me on, because I am too brutal. I’m about as strong, well trained in my techniques, but I seem to have an extra bit of savagery in putting my opponent down. I would like you to see a match I’m in to see if that is true.”

“Lin, I don’t know.”

“It’ll be a week from now, but we’ll have plenty of time to talk about it, now that we have that nasty business about Gayla and Isaiah out of the way. You don’t work tomorrow, so I’ll just come by at noon to pick you up for lunch. Then we’ll have plenty of time to discuss the matter. Of course we also have those times at the library to discuss it even further.”

Isaac seriously searched his mind to see what was going on tomorrow. Nothing. “Well, I . . .”

“That settles it.” Lin leaned over and kissed Isaac on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow for lunch then, socks and all. I might wear a new kimono.” She got up to go, grabbing her coat, putting it on, but carrying the shoes as she opened the door.

“Bye,” Isaac said, unsure of what just happened.

“Oh, Isaac?”

“Yes?”

“I just wanted to let you know I’m a believer in premarital purity. Lucky for you. Bye now.”

The door closed, and Isaac stared after her a little stunned.

“Well as long as we’re not eating steak, I guess I’ll be all right,” he said.

If you enjoyed this story, perhaps you may want to read other stories from the Barefoot Heroines collection. There are a variety of stories to choose from. They can be found at http://www.thevalkyrie.com/stories/mongoose/index.htm.

For suggestions, comments, or story ideas, email the author at shrewsberry@juno.com.