Self-Defense

On her way home from school, my thirteen year old granddaughter came upon a crowd of students whose paths were blocked by a couple of boys in pre-fight mode, shouting obscenities at each other. After a few minutes, tired of the wait and the trash talk, she decided to walk between them and be on her way. At precisely the same time one of the boys decided to throw a punch at the other. The punch, however, was headed straight toward my precious grandchild. Without thinking, she blocked the punch and automatically counterpunched. The kid she punched was a head taller than her but he was on his backside with a bloody nose. After a second of stunned silence, the boys and the crowd started expressing their amazement with words such as “Holy S#@#.” My granddaughter, in shock herself, went on her way. As she passed the boy who was the intended target, she winked and said, “I forgot to mention that I’m a black belt.”

As usual, I asked her how her day at school went (I’m the after-school care-taker for my grandchildren). “It was okay until the end,” she answered and proceeded to tell me her story. “It all happened so fast,” she reflected. “I didn’t even think about it until I was delivering the punch. I pulled back a little when I realized what was happening. I didn’t want to hurt him.” She held up her fist, twisting it around, examining it in wonder. “And I didn’t even hurt my hand!” I couldn’t help but burst out in laughter. Her ten-year old brother was also very impressed.

My amusement quickly turned to concern. I thought to myself, “I hope she didn’t break his nose and I hope she doesn’t get into trouble.” I told her to call her parents and let them know what happened in case they got a call from the school. I also worried that the boy she punched would want revenge. When I voiced that concern to my hubby, he pointed out she could take care of herself. I’m relieved to say that all is well. The boy went back to school without a broken nose and after a week, still isn’t bothering her. And, thankfully, we haven’t heard from the school or his parents. This evening she will be testing for Level 3, 1st Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. And I will be watching.