It was 10:30am by the time Tina made it to the gym. Standing by the door was an impatient Peggy. As Tina pulled open the door, Peggy was already in her face.

“When I say 10am, I mean no later. You’re a half hour late.” Peggy crossed her arms across her chest to show she meant business.

Tina’s cheeks begun to flush into the color of a ripe tomato. “I’m sorry. The traffic is terrible here and it was hard to get a taxi.”

Peggy shook her head and closed her eyes. She held her hand up in front of Tina’s face gesturing for her to stop. “Enough. Next time there will be a punishment. We take boxing seriously here and if you can’t be on time then you don’t need to come at all.”

Tina hung her head like a child getting scolded. “I’m so sorry it won’t happen again.”

Peggy sighed then led the way to the locker room. Once inside, Peggy had Tina go behind a curtain. “There is a doctor coming in to give you a checkup. You need to remove all your clothes and put this gown on.” Peggy handed over a gown like the ones people get in hospitals. “He will be in shortly.”

Tina’s physical went well. She had discarded the ugly gown for a black Nike sports bra and a pair of green spandex shorts. Once changed, she went around the curtain to the middle of the locker room. Peggy stood by the weight scale.

She looked up when she heard footsteps. “Alright, I see your physical turned out just fine. Now, we have to check your weight on this scale here.” Peggy pointed to the huge black slab on the ground. “I know the doctor probably checked it but I’m just going to re-check it. We need to be sure to place you in the right class.”

Tina nodded playing with the waistband on her shorts.

Peggy stepped aside. “Well come step on the scale.”

Tina walked up to the scale, with every step feeding anxiousness to her. This was going to be the moment she would find out the type of opponents she would fight. She stepped onto the scale. Tina took a deep breath closing her eyes. She could hear the beeping of the machine until it slowed and then stopped.