It was one of those perfect New York City evenings, the kind where the city feels like it’s made just for you. My friends and I had just finished a fantastic meal at our favorite spot in the East Village. We were laughing and just having a good time as we stepped onto the sidewalk.
Out of nowhere, a guy in his mid-twenties shoulder-checked me hard as he walked by. At first, I thought it was an accident. “Hey, sorry about that,” I said instinctively.
He spun around, eyes with that dead cold stare. “You got a problem?” he said, ignoring my apology entirely. His friend, a tall guy with a baseball cap pulled low, stopped a few paces ahead and turned to watch.
I raised my hands slightly. “No problem here, man. Just a misunderstanding.”
But he wasn’t letting it go. He started cursing, stepping closer with each word. The street noise seemed to fade as my focus zeroed in on him. His friend began circling to my left, positioning himself at an angle.
My friends sensed the shift in the air and fell silent. None of them had any street fighting experience and they just watched as I stayed calm, hands close to my body, ready but not threatening. The guy in front of me balled up his fists.. He was staring at me cold and in a challenging way.
“Listen,” I said confidently, “let’s just call it a night. No need for this to go anywhere.”
He had this smirk on his face, the kind of look where he thought he knew my weaknesses and what I would do. “You scared?” He took another step forward.
At that moment, I realized talking wasn’t going to defuse the situation. He was looking for a fight, expecting me to back down. But he had me pegged wrong.
As he drew back to throw a punch, I moved first. Stepping in swiftly, I delivered a solid right straight to his face. The surprise in his eyes was clear just before he stumbled back, landing hard on the sidewalk.
His friend rushed in from my side, trying to catch me off guard. But I’d been watching him. I pivoted, letting his momentum carry him toward me. I struck out with a quick jab to his jaw, then followed with a hook that he definately never expected.
For a moment, everything was still. The first guy was on the ground, while his friend staggered but managed to stay on his feet, I’d say a mix of shock and anger on his face.
He looked like he was considering a second round, but after glancing at his buddy and then back at me, he thought better of it. Grabbing his friend’s arm, he said something under his breath, and they both pulled away into the street.
I took a deep breath, as I felt a bit of that adrenaline coursing through me. My friends could do nothing but stare with a mix of what looked like concern and astonishment on their faces.
“Are you okay?” Jenna finally asked, her eyes seemed like they were going to pop out of her head.
“Yeah,” I nodded, rolling my shoulders to release the tension. “Didn’t exactly plan on that happening tonight.”
My friends Mike and James both laughed nervously, with Mike saying something like “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”
I just smiled. “Trust me, I’d rather not have to do that ever again.”
After the little confrontation, we decided to walk it off in the streets of the city, eventually grabbing a drink at one of our favorite watering holes.
As we walked, I was pretty quiet and thinking about how quickly things can change. One minute, you are having a good time with friends, and the next, you’re forced into defending yourself from a total stranger. I guess it could have been a lot worse, but I was just glad I listened to my father all those years ago when he said it’s important to learn how to defend yourself.
