Fifty Pushups Miss ☑️

Ch06 Face To Face

"You're at the wrong place young lady." 
The point was clear in his angry voice. Had to be. I was standing exactly where he stands. Facing my back towards him. 
"No. You kept me at the wrong place Major."

"What do you mean?" His voice louder and sterner. So was my heart beat. Nick asked me to look into his eyes? I felt like I'll fall if I take another breath. Forget turning around and look at him.

"You have been doing wrong with me. You were never training me." 
I couldn't see him. But I'm sure he was taken aback with what I said. He took a few moments before he answered. 
"You never wanted to get trained." 
"Yes it was so in the beginning. But now I want to."

"You want me to teach you, and yet you have the audacity to stand like this in front of me." 
I realised it was rude the way I was talking to him. I turned back. I didn't have the courage to look at his face.

Yet I tried doing what Nick told me to do. I looked into his eyes. They were red. With anger. But his face showed an expression I never saw before. Felt like it was sort of change. His expressions were soft, comforting, and curious at the same time.
Feeling uncomfortable I crossed my arms over my chest and continued looking into his eyes.

His face suddenly changed and before I could understand what went wrong, he spoke "Nobody taught you the manners of talking to people older and senior than you? Specially when you're getting scolded?"

After a gap of few moments, when he understood that I didn't understand, he said "You keep your hands behind your back, to be specific." 
Oh. That's what he's bothered about. My posture.

I quickly moved my hands behind and looked down. 
"Alright. You want me to train you for martial arts?" 
"Yes sir"

"Tell me why should I train you at all. You're a big brat. A spoiled kid. A big mouth. Why should I invest my time and efforts in you?" 
His every single word felt like an arrow hitting me all over my body. It was disheartening to hear all that.

"I've changed. I'm not the same anymore. Everytime you punished me for my bratty behaviour, I was changing. I was learning to behave. I may not have improved completely, but I can feel I'm a better person now. You need not hate me so much now."
 
This came as a surprise. I didn't realise what I was saying till I finished it. 
"So you think that in a week's time, you've earned it?" 
"Sir I want you to give me one real chance. Trust me, I want to achieve something. Believe in me." 
He looked at me top to bottom and back. Using his stick he walked closer. 

"You know what that means right? I'll train you. Strictly. You'll have to give one hundred percent commitment. Remember if I'll put in so much of efforts, you'll have to put in equally, if not more." 
"Yes sir"

"And lastly. There's no turning back. If you want to quit, Quit now." 
"Train me. I promise to give my 100 percent."

I looked into his eyes with a bursting feeling of power, victory, happiness, and don't know what else! He had a straight face again. His eyes were digging deep inside my eyes. 
Then his face softened.

"You having cramps in those shoulders?" 
Suddenly my body took over my brain and I spoke "Bad. Everywhere." as a reflex.
I saw him putting a genuine smile on his face.

"You want a break and get some rest, before your training starts?" 
I never expected that he'll ever use words like 'break' and 'rest'. But he did. Don't let go of this offer Jane. This might be the first and last time Major Killer is caring. But what if it's a trap?
 
"My muscles are really sore." 
"Answer the question directly" the tone became sterner.

"Yes sir, a break would be helpful." 
"Alright. No training today."

My heart leaped out of my chest hearing that. I'm definitely in a dream. 
But I hit reality when he said this- "you will continue doing 50 pushups everyday after your daily workout." 

I opened my mouth to oppose. 
"I don't think you are in a state to argue whether it's right or wrong." 
"Yes sir".

"Then 2100 hours today. Ground. Count 50 in front of me. Go back and prepare for real training." 
That was it.

Tomorrow a new life will begin. Atleast things are clear now. And there's something to look forward to. 
But damn those pushups.