slyc_willie
Captain Crash
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2006
- Posts
- 17,732
I often walk home from work, even if it is dark. I've never had any problems on my normal route from the restaurant to my apartment, which lies about a mile away, maybe less. Usually, the walk is a good way to unwind from the often high-stress environment of the restaurant.
My route takes me first to a little convenience store for smokes and, as tonight, sometimes beer. Then I cross the street, cut through one apartment complex on my way to the one where I live. There're quite a few shadowed alleys between buildings, but I've never felt anxious walking through them.
Tonight, as I cut through the first complex, a guy sitting beneath a tree calls out, asking me if I've got a cigarette. Skinny kid. Wearing jeans and a heavy sweatshirt. One of millions I've seen in my life. Being the gracious guy I am, I take out my case, offer him a smoke. He takes it, then produces a knife.
Wow. A mugger. Imagine that.
Now, I spent four and a half years active duty in the Army. I went through a lot of training, from the banal to the, shall we say, interesting. Haven't had much call to use the more interesting skills since 1995 . . . until tonight.
He tried to give me some kind of practiced speech, something about, "Don't make a big deal, it's just money, so give me all of it."
I set my bag on the ground.
Then I hit him.
He never saw it coming. I was relieved to find that I could still be that fast. Crushed the kid's nose, then disarmed him (I believe I broke his wrist when i twisted it; oh, well) and locked his arm behind his back, forcing him down. He's yelling and cursing, telling me he's got brothers and friends who'll find me and kill me, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Of course, that got some attention from the buildings around us, and I noticed a girl come out on her balcony not too far away. I ask her to call the cops.
They showed up within ten minutes. No fooling. Apparently, there had been quite a few muggings in and near that apartment complex for about a week. Chances are, I had the guy responsible.
I got the usual speech from the cops once they had the guy in custody and ran a check to make sure I didn't have any warrants. "It's not up to you to be a hero," the officer told me.
"I wasn't," I said back. "But I've only been with my girlfriend for a couple months, now, and I'll be damned if some little prick is going to keep me from giving her a good Christmas."
I'm no fan of needless violence, but it's good to know that I still got the skills when I need them.
My route takes me first to a little convenience store for smokes and, as tonight, sometimes beer. Then I cross the street, cut through one apartment complex on my way to the one where I live. There're quite a few shadowed alleys between buildings, but I've never felt anxious walking through them.
Tonight, as I cut through the first complex, a guy sitting beneath a tree calls out, asking me if I've got a cigarette. Skinny kid. Wearing jeans and a heavy sweatshirt. One of millions I've seen in my life. Being the gracious guy I am, I take out my case, offer him a smoke. He takes it, then produces a knife.
Wow. A mugger. Imagine that.
Now, I spent four and a half years active duty in the Army. I went through a lot of training, from the banal to the, shall we say, interesting. Haven't had much call to use the more interesting skills since 1995 . . . until tonight.
He tried to give me some kind of practiced speech, something about, "Don't make a big deal, it's just money, so give me all of it."
I set my bag on the ground.
Then I hit him.
He never saw it coming. I was relieved to find that I could still be that fast. Crushed the kid's nose, then disarmed him (I believe I broke his wrist when i twisted it; oh, well) and locked his arm behind his back, forcing him down. He's yelling and cursing, telling me he's got brothers and friends who'll find me and kill me, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Of course, that got some attention from the buildings around us, and I noticed a girl come out on her balcony not too far away. I ask her to call the cops.
They showed up within ten minutes. No fooling. Apparently, there had been quite a few muggings in and near that apartment complex for about a week. Chances are, I had the guy responsible.
I got the usual speech from the cops once they had the guy in custody and ran a check to make sure I didn't have any warrants. "It's not up to you to be a hero," the officer told me.
"I wasn't," I said back. "But I've only been with my girlfriend for a couple months, now, and I'll be damned if some little prick is going to keep me from giving her a good Christmas."
I'm no fan of needless violence, but it's good to know that I still got the skills when I need them.
