Defeat

His ears and cheeks black with the soot and exhaust of defeat, Pintu walked through the now deserted lot. He had completed his assigned task but his head still hung low. He had not expected to place, in-fact he was not sure if he would even survive, with no training and so much on his mind to distract him, but the empty lot and the blazing sun found him in a funk. As he sat in his ’85 Corolla the picture lodged in front of the speedometer showing four smiling faces brought a smile to his face. All was good.