Harvey Larson arrives home a little after 9 PM on the first Friday of September 1952. He is famished, but he knows there will be warm leftovers ready for him in the oven.
Because of the fight at school today, Burt is not hovering around his father, but is staying away without being too obvious. He sits in front of the television watching The Aldrich Family, a situation-comedy about a teenage boy named Henry. It immediately precedes and is on the same channel as The Friday Night Fights which go on at 10 PM.
At about 9:50, Harvey finishes his dinner and joins his son in front of the television. After a few minutes he notices something on Burt's face.
"Hey, is that a bruise below your left eye?"
"Nothing much."
"How did it get there?"
"Well, I got into a small fight today before school."
"You can't do that. We can't afford to offend anybody. They could take their milk business elsewhere. Do you understand how that could affect the roof over our heads and the food on our table?"
"I do."
"What was it about?"
"A kid at school named Carl was picking on Libby. I asked him to stop and he punched me. I hit him back. I don't think he'll bother either of us again."
"Next time, let Libby fight her own battles. And let there not be a next for you. Promise me or you go to bed right now."
"I promise."
At 10 PM, boxing comes on television live from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Over 4,000 fans are there to watch welterweight contenders Bobby Dykes (24 years-old) from Miami Beach and Gil Turner (22 years-old) from Philadelphia.
Dykes is the veteran with 86 wins. Turner has only 32 fights, but has lost only one, that to the champion, Kid Gavilan. Turns out Dykes has lost to him, as well.
Whomever Harvey chooses to root for, Burt, in their unannounced rivalry, chooses the other. Sometimes, Harvey went for experience, sometimes youth. But, he almost always goes for the white guy, if there is a white guy. Why is that? Maybe because Harvey is a white guy. Well, tonight's white guy is Dykes.
In the fifth round of a very close contest, Turner knocks Dykes through the ropes and out of the ring. Instead of being the end, it becomes a turning point. Dykes, who had been losing, regains the initiative. After ten rounds, the three judges take over. All three vote 5 rounds to 4, with one round even. However, two of the three judges vote for Dykes.
Harvey is all smiles as his man wins...again. He seems to be showing his son, that again, he knows best. Both Burt and his man Gil Turner go to bed that night very disappointed. For Burt, there has to be a day of reckoning with his father...soon.
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