Just how long does it take to forget having a gun drawn on you? Apparently somewhere between a day and 4 months, because by January some guy named Tomás who got the jump on me when I wasn't ready was a forgotten memory. That is until he got the jump on me again at my gym. I hadn't ask anyone for a spot on the bench, but Tomás took it upon himself to be helpful that day. After I got up, my first instinct was to punch him, but after thinking about what happened last time, I decided I'd hear him out one last time.
Once we got in the steam room, he started going on about this matter of "national security" that his "company" needed my help with. He kept blabbering, but the more he talked, the more he sounded like a cheap remake of some spy movie. I told him that I had enough, and got up to leave. Before my right hand completely wrapped around the door handle, he said 4 simple words, "Think about the money." My right hand dropped to my side as I turned and faced my would be employer. So how much money does it take for a person to want to risk their life for an unknown reason...somewhere around $100,000, because when Tomás said that number, the only thing I could say was, "When do we leave?" A hundred grand may not sound worth risking your neck for, but when you're 19 years old, $100,000 is a key to cars, clothes, and girls.
The next day, I met Tomás at noon at Peachtree Plaza and we took off in a black Lexus. Tomás offered me a glass of champagne to "celebrate" as he put it, but sometime later, he was waking me up. The funniest part about it was that we were in another gym. Not like the one I went to, but about the same kind of set up. I joked with him by asking if this was where I'd learn kung fu and all of that, but he just smiled and said kung fu was for Hollywood. The next thing I know, this tall, lanky middle eastern guy comes out. He said his name was Amzi and then he started talking about something called Krav Maga. When I asked him if was lethal, he smiled, and then took me down with one kick and a punch. He said he could teach it to me, so I asked him when we would get started. "Right now." he replied.
If you like what you're reading and want me to keep telling my story, just type yes in the comments...if you don't want to read anymore...forget what you've already read
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Go for it. A good fiction writer can make a very comfortable living. At least that was the case not too long ago. Maybe not so much now. People don't seem to have quite as much disposable income as they once did.
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