Class was over for the night. Gabriella and Martha began their walk to the corner to flag a cab.
The tall, thin stranger in the dirty torn jeans and ragged hoodie stepped out from behind the garbage dumpster in the alley. “Excuse me, ladies, do you have the time?”
“Yes, I do. The time is 10:37,” replied Martha, staring at the man and knowing what would happen next.
“Thank you. Give me all of your money now!” The voice was a chilling mixture of Southern smoothness and threat.
“Here it comes,” Martha whispered to Gabriella. She looked around for help, but the dark street was empty.
“Take my wallet,” Martha said in fear as she began to pull her wallet out of her open gym bag.
“No!” Gabriella shouted back in defiance. “You’re not taking our money or anything else!”
“Are you crazy, Gabriella? Just give him the money, and he’ll leave us alone!” Martha whispered back in that shouting whisper a person does to prevent themselves from screaming. “He’s done this before and won’t hesitate to hurt us for whatever we have of value. Give him what he wants. He’ll take it and leave us alone!”
“I’d listen to your friend, pretty lady. She knows what she’s talking about.”
A thin-bladed knife appeared as if by magic. “I can take your money, or I can take your money and your blood. Either way, I still get your money.”
The blade floated in front of them as if by its own power. The tall stranger advanced.
“Gabriella, what the hell are you doing? Give the damn man what he wants! Throw him the money!”
Gabriella put her right foot behind her left for balance. She raised her arms, palms facing their attacker, and shouted, “Stop! Don’t come any closer!”
The tall stranger chuckled and kept advancing toward the two women.
Gabriella stepped out in front of her friend and shouted, “Stay behind me, Martha.”
“No! You can’t do this, Gabriella! Throw your money at him, and let’s run for it!”
“There’s not a chance that will happen. If you want our money, come and take it, jerk!”
The thin man sneered, “I’m going to cut you for the fun of it, bitch!”
He stepped within striking range and thrust the thin steel blade at Gabriella’s face. She parried his attack using her left arm, leaving his central core vulnerable. She stepped in and used her right elbow to deliver a crushing blow to his throat. The man staggered backward gasping, but still holding onto the knife. Gabriella seized his knife wrist with both of her hands, raised it up over her head, and turned her back towards her attacker. She pulled his upturned elbow down hard onto her shoulder until she heard a crack and screams of agony as the joint broke.
Gabriella spun to face him again, delivering a powerful thrust from the heel of her hand to his solar plexus. He cried out and doubled over forward. She grabbed the back of his head and thrust her right knee into his face, breaking his nose with a crack sounding like a thick plastic ruler snapping. The attacker crumpled to the sidewalk, vomiting and moaning in pain.
“Gabriella, that was insane!” Martha shouted in an amazed but still terrified voice. “He could have killed us both!”
Gabriella reached out and calmed Martha, gently touching her cheek. “But he didn’t kill us, did he?” she said. Martha shut her eyes and appreciated the comfort.
“It’s all going to be okay, Martha. No big thing. It doesn’t look like he’ll be getting up and going anywhere for a while, so let’s call the police and go back home as if nothing happened. I’m sure they’ll find him still lying here and take care of the rest.”
Martha’s still raw emotions flared, “As if nothing happened? How the hell can we behave as if nothing happened? He attacked us on the street and could have killed us, and you smacked the crap out of the guy! How can we act as if nothing happened? Let’s at least go back to the school and tell Ralph about it.”
“Sure, Martha. We’re only half a block away. It wouldn’t harm anything to let Ralph know his classes are effective. He might like to hear it.”
Ralph was more than interested in hearing what the women had to say. He took his time and asked them questions concerning the details of the attack, and of Gabriella’s counterattack.
“So, Gabriella, tell me how you felt about having to defend yourself.”
“It was no big deal, Ralph. I warned him to stay away from me like you said to do, but he kept on coming with the knife. He also said he would take a lot of pleasure in cutting me. I have no qualms whatsoever about defending myself against such a creep, and I don’t feel bad at all in how I had to disable him. As a matter of fact, I may have done him a favor. He may have to find another line of business now that he has a broken elbow, rather than robbing women. Yes, no regrets at all. I did what I had to do to keep us safe. I don’t see what the concern is over a bad guy who attacks good people. It was his choice, he received the consequences he deserved, and we are all okay. Case closed. End of story. All done.”
“Gabriella, you don’t have any remorse for causing such pain?” asked Ralph in amazement. “Women are generally terrified by an attack like this.” What’s the story here with this woman? Who is she really?
“No, I don’t. Why should I? I thought I explained I did what I had to do. I was a little faster and better at my job than he was at his. It seems to me it’s a better thing bad people get hurt rather than good people, wouldn’t you agree, Ralph?”
Ralph looked at Gabriella for a moment or two before answering.
“Yes, I do. It’s why we teach this course. But when people have to use the skills they learn here, there is remorse for having to hurt another human being. You don’t seem to display any sorrow at all.” She sure sounds a lot like some CIA operatives at The Farm, but yet she’s not one of them.
“I don’t know how to comment on it, Ralph,” Gabriella whispered. “It is what it is, I guess. I rather enjoyed it, in fact. It gave me a feeling of control.”
Ralph looked at her, lowered his head, and shook it. He raised his head and looked at the pair of women. “Ladies, thank you for coming back and telling me about it. Would you like me to flag down a cab for you?”
Martha grinned, “I’m still a bit frightened, Ralph. Would you mind riding home with me for protection?”
“Pardon?”
“Just kidding, Ralph. I think I’m trying to relieve stress.”
Gabriella said she would ride with Martha to keep her company, but she was comfortable walking home. Ralph cocked his head and stared at her.
After the women left, Ralph sent a detailed incident report to Colonel Lance Coopers.
“Our girl did surprisingly well,” Lance said to his sergeant. “Can you check the local hospitals in the morning to see how our attacker is doing? He certainly earned his pay tonight.”