Thursday
I woke up right on the edge of the bed.
In my back were a pair of feet, small feet! There was nowhere else to go, so I allowed myself to fall gently to the floor. There was an immediate chuckle from above me, and a giggle from just a few feet away. I looked over and saw Anne-Marie looking at me with a big grin on her face. I felt so stupid.
"What you doing down there?" Anne-Marie asked.
Before I could reply, Dave stepped in. "I think your brother kicked her out of the bed," he laughed.
"So funny, both of you!" I growled, but I laughed anyway.
I wanted to swear, badly, but knew that I could not swear in front of the kids, so I scrambled up off the floor and dived into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind me.
There was a muffled explosion from the bathroom that I interpreted as: "Fuuuck!", but thankfully, Anne-Marie did not.
We were sticking to a routine, both for the kids and us. Mindy liked routines; they were like mini-missions. I knew that Mindy was not happy about missing out, on sex the previous night, so I knew that she would be cranky.
Nothing new there, then!
After dropping the kids off at school, Dave and I headed over to the south of Chicago.
We stopped off at a certain coffee shop. On entering, we both looked around until Dave nudged me and indicated a young woman sitting at a table alone. We walked over to the table and indicated the empty chairs on the other side of the table, across from the women.
"These taken?" Dave asked.
"Can I help you people?" The woman asked.
The girl had long brown hair and brown eyes.
"We would like to talk with you, Mathilda," I said, sitting down across from her.
Dave and I did our best not to look threatening to her; we knew her capabilities. I saw the girl instinctively look around, checking her exits and possible threats. She was good.
"Hey, you've got me all wrong there, girl!" I said, holding my hands up and I saw Mathilda frown. I had used the exact same phrase and hand movements that I had used when we had first met.
"I'm listening..."
"We would like you to join us; you have some unique skills that have proved very useful."
"Join who?"
I smiled at Mathilda.
"Do you need your ass, kicked?" Dave said quietly.
Mathilda's eyes widened in surprise.
"Penny dropped?"
"I think so..."
The famous Hit Girl and Kick-Ass were sitting across from me and asking me to join them!
It was a lot to absorb.
"I – I'm a little overwhelmed that you should ask me..."
"You've earned it. Petra had only good things to say about you."
I hoped that Petra kept her gob shut about the other things...
"Can I think about it?"
"By all means; we are not forcing you. You join under your own steam. You have my number, give me a call."
West Ridge
We had left a rather shocked Mathilda to her morning coffee.
Mindy was off shopping before heading over to get the twins. I was resting with Sophia when my cell rang; it was Megan.
"You're not supposed to use your cell at school...," I began before Megan interrupted me, her voice sounding urgent.
"Dave, can it! You need to get down to the school, now!"
"What's happened?" I asked, suddenly alarmed.
"Somebody hit Anne-Marie and started her nose bleeding. If Mindy sees the blood...," Megan explained.
"Oh, shit!" I dropped the call and ran for my RS7.
Mindy had her Jag; I had my Audi RS7!
North Park Elementary School
I had pushed the Audi as hard as I dared.
The turbo-charged V8 engine accelerated the car steadily as the gearbox moved automatically through the eight-speed transmission and fed the power to all four of the twenty-one-inch wheels. The Sepang Blue car cut through the traffic with ease and I arrived at the school just minutes after the kids had started to come out.
As I approached the main door of the school, I could hear raised voices – one of which was my dear fiancée! The conversation was animated. The Principal was trying to explain to Mindy that kids fought and that the school would deal with it. Mindy was having none of it and I was a little concerned. I could read her body language and I could tell that she was doing everything she could to control her emotions – and her fists, which were clenched behind her. I rapidly closed and seized Mindy, pinning her fists between her back and my stomach.
"Ah, Mr Lizewski!" The Principal said, sounding a little relieved.
Mindy was struggling, so I hissed into her ear.
"Stop it, Mindy, you're scaring the kids!"
Mindy froze and looked down at Danny and Anne-Marie. They were both looking up at her and their faces showed the beginnings of concern.
"We know you care about them both, Miss Macready, but we will handle the discipline here," the Principal explained.
"I'm sorry for causing a scene," Mindy said.
"Not your fault, honey," a woman said. "It's part of being a Mom."
"It doesn't get any easier," another said. "But kids love to know they have parents who'll fight for them!"
"Thanks," Mindy said as she blushed with embarrassment.
West Ridge
Mindy was fuming by the time she arrived home.
Megan had ridden with me and we had arrived back first. I told her that she should be changed and ready to go in twenty minutes. Mindy arrived just as Megan was running across the street. As the three of them entered, I told the twins to get upstairs, giving each one a small bag and told them to get themselves changed straight away.
"Calm down, Mindy!" I said as soon as the twins had vanished up the stairs.
"I'm sorry; I saw the blood and panicked," Mindy said. "I see blood, I react!"
"As that other woman said; you behaved just like any Mom would."
Mindy blushed and smiled. The two kids reappeared at the bottom of the stairs. They were each wearing a pure white Taekwondo Gi and had sandals with Velcro fastenings on their feet. On the back of the Gi was the logo for 'D-JAK Martial Arts'. The kids looked a little uncertain and had been unable to tie the white belts and both simply held them in their hands.
"Jag - move it!" I ordered.
Megan was just running across the road as we walked out of the house. She too was wearing a Gi, this time in navy blue and with a green belt that had a blue stripe, wrapped around her waist. She too wore sandals on her feet. She pushed Danny into the middle and jumped in the back.
D-JAK
I had wanted them to have some after school activities and what better than an hour of Taekwondo. It would teach them co-ordination, courtesy, integrity, patience, perseverance and self-discipline. Neither of them had ever done anything like that before. I wanted the twins to gain some fun experiences as they grew up and I hoped that their experiences would be nothing like what I had endured.
"This place looks awesome!" Danny said as we entered D-JAK.
"Not bad, I suppose," his sister, Anne-Marie commented.
"Both of you go see Kyle and he'll start you on your first lesson and no fighting with each other!" I called out as the two kids scampered excitedly across the mat, chucking their bags in two completely different directions.
"Don't worry; I'll pick your bags up!" I called after them sarcastically.
"You make a lovely young Mom!" Paige teased as she walked over.
"Fuck me, if it isn't exhausting!" I moaned.
"You're doing fine, Mindy; it's only been four days, though!"
I sat and watched Kyle as he added Anne-Marie and Danny to the class of other novices.
Kyle stood in front of them, with Megan beside him.
"You are going to learn how to block and how to defend yourselves," Kyle lectured. "You are not going to be taught how to fight, not yet."
There were groans and I saw Anne-Marie grimacing.
"You will be taught how to prevent injury, how to prevent a fight from starting, how to get yourself out of a fight once one begins," Megan went on. "We will not teach you to start a fight or join a fight; first you need to learn how to defend yourselves."
The group was made up of twelve boys and girls of between seven and ten-years-old. Megan and Kyle usually helped teach the younger kids. I waved as Hailee appeared; she was my newest instructor. She wore a black Gi with her black belt wrapped around her waist.
Once Megan and Kyle had warmed the kids up with some basic exercises and shown each of them how to tie their belt properly, Hailee started to introduce the basic blocks.
"Arae Makki – the low block. It is the most basic of the blocks and it is the technique to defend against low attacks with the outside of your wrist. Your blocking arm should start at the shoulder of the opposite arm, quickly coming down and stopping your wrist about two fists from your belt. Do not forget to keep your blocking arm straight," Hailee explained, before demonstrating each part of the movement.
With the help of Kyle and Megan, Hailee ensured that each child could perform the movement properly. This took a while for some of the kids to master. I noticed that Anne-Marie caught on very well and seemed a little bored, while she waited for the other kids, including Danny, to catch up. Once everybody was ready, Hailee moved onto the next movement.
"Olgul Makki – the high block. It is the technique to defend your face with the outside of your wrist. Your blocking wrist should start at your waist and move across the front of your body to finish right above your forehead. The distance between your wrist and your forehead should be one fist. During this motion move the other arm to the side with a closed fist, like pulling it. Keep your neck straight and look forward. The point is to deflect the attack by keeping your blocking wrist slightly above your elbow to make an angle. It is very important to block attacks that come above."
The rest of the class was spent practicing the two blocks and after the full hour, most of the kids were looking tired, including our two. Once the class had been dismissed, Kyle and Megan went over to the punch bags to do some of their own training. I saw Anne-Marie and Danny watching Megan with interest, along with a couple of the other kids.
..._...
Megan laid into her punch bag with enthusiasm. I noticed she was showing off, too. She span, kicked, punched and jumped. The other kids went home once their parents arrived, leaving just Anne-Marie and Danny watching Megan and Kyle. They then turned to watch Hailee who was showing off how flexible she was as she span and flipped across the mat, proving that she had what was required to wear the black belt.
"Can you do that?" Anne-Marie asked, looking up at me.
"I can..."
"Show us..., please!" Danny asked.
I looked at Dave who just shrugged. I went through to the back past a grinning Paige and changed into my own black Gi and black belt. I suggested to Hailee that we take things easy, so as not to give anything away.
She nodded, but smirked, which just told me that I was in for a beating if I eased off.
I watched as Mindy and Hailee stood on the mat, faced off and bowed to each other.
Megan and Kyle stopped their training, as the next class began to arrive. Seeing two senior instructors spar was something worth watching, so everybody gathered around the mat to watch. Only Mindy and Hailee wore the black Gi, as it was the sign of a senior instructor at D-JAK. I had one too, but rarely wore it. The other adult instructors wore yellow, while junior instructors wore blue, like Megan and Kyle. Chloe and Josh also wore the blue Gi.
There was cheering and gasps coming from the small crowd as Mindy and Hailee span around the mat trying to outwit each other. I just hoped that they remembered that they were in a Dojang in front of young kids and not on the streets of Gotham! For the coming class one of our adult instructors was present, Jim Cartwright. He wore a yellow Gi and watched with interest, before he looked over at me and I nodded towards the mat with a smirk.
It was time to up the ante. I whispered something in Megan's ear and she smirked and ran off to the far side. Jim and Megan started on each side of the mat, both holding a training Jō-staff. Megan nodded and both moved towards the two girls. I saw Mindy turn her head slightly. Hailee also clocked what was happening and the two girls both moved fast as the Jō-staffs swung horizontally to trip them both. Within seconds, Megan was on her back clutching her side as Mindy kicked her. Jim had jumped sideways just missing Hailee's strike.
Megan rolled quickly and jumped back to her feet, just as Mindy flipped up the Jō-staff from the ground and brought it down towards Megan. The younger girl blocked the Jō-staff, used it to pivot around, and somersaulted over Mindy, catching Mindy's shoulder with a perfect kick. Unfortunately, Mindy then caught Megan's right foot and Megan landed with a short scream on the mat and rolled into a group of boys, knocking them over like bowling pins. Jim was fighting Hailee and never saw Mindy kick his feet out from under him and pin the man to the mat. Hailee moved in to take advantage, but Mindy caught her left leg with a Jō-staff and Hailee fell to the mat and Mindy brought her lower leg down across Hailee's throat.
The sparring was over and cheering with some applause erupted from the watching kids and parents. Megan was helped to her feet by the smirking boys, who always seemed to enjoy helping Megan for some reason or other. Megan did not seem to mind having the boys help her, either; a month or so ago, she would probably have slapped them all for touching her!
"Next class; Kyle sort them out, please, while Hailee gets her breath back!" Mindy said with a laugh. "Thanks Jim, Megan!"
"I think you need to get your own breath back, old girl!" Hailee quipped leaving Mindy speechless with indignation.
The sparring had gone down very well with all who had watched the advanced movements. I also knew that Mindy loved to show off and it seemed, so did Hailee.
"You enjoy being in that group of boys?" I asked Megan facetiously.
"Yes actually!" Megan responded with a smile.