Someone tapped my shoulder. As I turned, I saw a fist heading towards my face.

My instincts took over. I continued to spin, bringing my arms up to protect my head. The punch, instead of connecting with my face, glanced off my forearms. Without thinking, I grabbed the arm, slipped my arm around my assailant’s waist, jutted my hip to block his leg, and popped him in the air.

My attacker crashed to the ground, and I knelt on him, not letting go of the arm. I braced the arm against my own leg, glancing around for other attackers. If the guy now on the floor struggled, I was in the perfect position to break the arm.

I love my martial arts training. Even though I hoped to never use it in real life, I felt powerful when able to use it in an unexpected attack.

Seeing no one else around, I took a closer look at my attacker–there had been no time to see his face. He moaned a bit, obviously in pain.

“Ben?” I asked, letting go of the arm and stepping away. He wasn’t going to try anything like that again, judging by the pain he appeared to be in. “What the hell was that for?”

Ben was a friend of mine (at least, I believed he was), though I hadn’t seen him in a few weeks.

He slowly sat up, rubbing his hip, looking a bit dazed. Ben’s head flopped around a bit loosely, turning to look at me. His eyes finally focused on me, and an expression of anger returned.

Quickly, I thought back to recent events. Any girls that I’d been hitting on recently? Not really, flirting with a couple of cashiers at gas stations had been the extent of my relationships recently. In fact, nothing came to mind that would have caused anyone to be mad enough to physically attack me.

“You know what you did,” I could swear Ben’s eyes had turned red as he growled out the words. “She left me because of you.”

“Who left you?” I asked. I couldn’t even think of who he might be dating. We’d barely even seen each other this summer.

“Jen.” He spat the period as he continued sitting on the ground.

Might not be the worst thing, I thought. Ben and Jen? Rhyming names just can’t be good. Out loud, I asked, “Jen who?”

“Like you don’t know,” he said.

“No, I really don’t.”

He looked at me quizzically. I looked him back, staring him right in the eye. Eventually, I gave a little shake of my head and shrugged my shoulders, trying to convey I had nothing left to say. I truly had no clue about what he was trying to say.

“After seeing a picture of you on a bulletin board at my house, she said that you and her had talked a week or two ago. Whatever it was that you said, she wanted to pursue a relationship with you.”

I still didn’t have any clue who he was talking about. Then, with a sinking feeling in my stomach, I asked, “Does she work?”

“Yeah, as a cashier at the gas station down the road. Actually, that’s where I met her,” Ben replied.

“I think I see what happened here,” I said. “I did flirt with a cashier there a week or so ago, but I had thought it was fairly innocent. I had no idea that she thought it might be something more than flirting. In fact, I haven’t seen or heard from her since. Either she’s waiting for me to make my next stop there, or she used me as an excuse to break up with you. I’m sorry, man, but I had no clue this was going to happen.”

After I stopped speaking, I thought about the irony–he took a swing at me, and I’m the one apologizing. I added, “And you probably shouldn’t hit folk before you’ve given them a chance to speak their side.”

“Yeah,” he shrugged, holding out his hand. I helped him off the ground. “I knew it was stupid long before I actually hit you. You’ve been training for what, three years now?”

I nodded.

Ben continued, “I was just so angry. I couldn’t believe you would do something like that to me.”

“But really, I didn’t. You took the swing for no reason.”

“Yeah, man, but it felt so good in the instant before you threw me. How do you defend against someone who throws you like that?” he asked, expectantly.

“Nice try,” I replied. “But you’re not getting help from me. Learn to talk first, attack later, and I might consider it in a couple years.”Someone tapped my shoulder. As I turned, I saw a fist heading towards my face.

My instincts took over. I continued to spin, bringing my arms up to protect my head. The punch, instead of connecting with my face, glanced off my forearms. Without thinking, I grabbed the arm, slipped my arm around my assailant’s waist, jutted my hip to block his leg, and popped him in the air.

My attacker crashed to the ground, and I knelt on him, not letting go of the arm. I braced the arm against my own leg, glancing around for other attackers. If the guy now on the floor struggled, I was in the perfect position to break the arm.

I love my martial arts training. Even though I hoped to never use it in real life, I felt powerful when able to use it in an unexpected attack.

Seeing no one else around, I took a closer look at my attacker–there had been no time to see his face. He moaned a bit, obviously in pain.

“Ben?” I asked, letting go of the arm and stepping away. He wasn’t going to try anything like that again, judging by the pain he appeared to be in. “What the hell was that for?”

Ben was a friend of mine (at least, I believed he was), though I hadn’t seen him in a few weeks.

He slowly sat up, rubbing his hip, looking a bit dazed. Ben’s head flopped around a bit loosely, turning to look at me. His eyes finally focused on me, and an expression of anger returned.

Quickly, I thought back to recent events. Any girls that I’d been hitting on recently? Not really, flirting with a couple of cashiers at gas stations had been the extent of my relationships recently. In fact, nothing came to mind that would have caused anyone to be mad enough to physically attack me.

“You know what you did,” I could swear Ben’s eyes had turned red as he growled out the words. “She left me because of you.”

“Who left you?” I asked. I couldn’t even think of who he might be dating. We’d barely even seen each other this summer.

“Jen.” He spat the period as he continued sitting on the ground.

Might not be the worst thing, I thought. Ben and Jen? Rhyming names just can’t be good. Out loud, I asked, “Jen who?”

“Like you don’t know,” he said.

“No, I really don’t.”

He looked at me quizzically. I looked him back, staring him right in the eye. Eventually, I gave a little shake of my head and shrugged my shoulders, trying to convey I had nothing left to say. I truly had no clue about what he was trying to say.

“After seeing a picture of you on a bulletin board at my house, she said that you and her had talked a week or two ago. Whatever it was that you said, she wanted to pursue a relationship with you.”

I still didn’t have any clue who he was talking about. Then, with a sinking feeling in my stomach, I asked, “Does she work?”

“Yeah, as a cashier at the gas station down the road. Actually, that’s where I met her,” Ben replied.

“I think I see what happened here,” I said. “I did flirt with a cashier there a week or so ago, but I had thought it was fairly innocent. I had no idea that she thought it might be something more than flirting. In fact, I haven’t seen or heard from her since. Either she’s waiting for me to make my next stop there, or she used me as an excuse to break up with you. I’m sorry, man, but I had no clue this was going to happen.”

After I stopped speaking, I thought about the irony–he took a swing at me, and I’m the one apologizing. I added, “And you probably shouldn’t hit folk before you’ve given them a chance to speak their side.”

“Yeah,” he shrugged, holding out his hand. I helped him off the ground. “I knew it was stupid long before I actually hit you. You’ve been training for what, three years now?”

I nodded.

Ben continued, “I was just so angry. I couldn’t believe you would do something like that to me.”

“But really, I didn’t. You took the swing for no reason.”

“Yeah, man, but it felt so good in the instant before you threw me. How do you defend against someone who throws you like that?” he asked, expectantly.

“Nice try,” I replied. “But you’re not getting help from me. Learn to talk first, attack later, and I might consider it in a couple years.”