Interrupted Journey

Chapter 8 - An Education

A couple of weeks later, Laura held a further basic training course. We had delayed it slightly to give Alan a chance to get used to his one armed state but he seemed to be adapting surprisingly quickly. Laura had asked Samson and me to help out and, by the time I arrived, most of the recruits - new arrivals who were keen to impress - were there and looked keen to start but Alan and Greg were late. It was a hot summer morning and we all had things we needed to do so we were mildly irritated. When the two lads appeared, laughing and joking, it stretched our patience to the limit.

When Laura began her usual spiel about her training plan, Greg chose to make some sort of comment - I think it was something about being trained by a woman. I didn't hear it but Laura clearly did.

"You, come here," she said in a quiet, calm tone that had me inwardly flinching. I saw Samson smiling slightly.

He took a step forward, unsure as to what he'd let himself in for.

"Defend yourself," she told him.

"What?"

She stepped in and slapped him across the face. "I told you to defend yourself. You won't get that sort of warning in a real combat situation." She stepped in to slap him again but this time he dodged out of the way.

"Good," she said. "You're getting the idea." She made as if to slap him again but this time, when he dodged, she stepped through to kick him in the rear.

"You little..." he roared as he swung a wild haymaker at her which, had it connected, would have knocked her flying. She ducked below it and slapped him again.

"Use your anger, don't let it use you!" she instructed him as she backed off slightly allowing a small gap to grow between them. He took half a second to compose himself then dummied with his left before driving an uppercut towards her chin. She stepped to the side, grabbing his wrist and rolled his body over hers. She turned to trap him on the floor but he was already rolling to his feet.

"You're quick!" Laura acknowledged as she circled slowly to the left, "but not..."

She dummied a kick to his right knee, which he dodged, responding with a kick of his own towards her hip. She batted this to one side, throwing him off-balance and, seizing his left hand, dumped him face-first into the grass. Suddenly, her foot was on his shoulder and his left hand was being held painfully upwards.

"...not fast enough."

"So, you see, there are some things that a woman can teach you."

"Yes, sir... ow... I mean ma'am." His voice was not very clear because his face was being forced into the grass.

"I'm not a sir or a ma'am. I work for a living. I'm corporal or 'Corp' to my friends. Do you want to be my friend?"

"Yes, erm, Corp."

"Right, what's your name?"

"Greg, Corp."

"Well, Greg, from now on, I want to see you here on time, every time and ready to learn. Is that going to happen?"

"Yes, Corp."

"For your information, I can take down any man here in the valley except for Mike and, with Samson, it's about 50-50."

"True?" she asked Samson.

"On a good day for me," Samson rumbled.

"But he's huge!" Greg mumbled into the grass.

"And I'm quick as, incidentally, are you. You have the potential to be very good, if you're prepared to learn from a woman. Are you prepared to learn from a woman?"

"Yes, Corp."

"Good, then lets get on with the lesson." As she said this, she rolled him over and hauled him too his feet.

At the end of the lesson, Greg approached Laura slightly apprehensively. "Corp, I want to apologise for what I said back there. I was just surprised to be trained by a woman, that's all. I didn't mean anything by it."

"Apology accepted and appreciated," she replied. "It's a bit of a sore point... and on that subject, how's your shoulder?"

"A bit stiff, but I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Turn round."

"Sorry?"

"I said, 'turn round'. Or do you want me to turn you round?"

He hurried to do as he was told and she started to massage his shoulder.

"Oooh... aaah..." he grumbled as she worked her fingers deep into the muscle.

"Don't be such a big baby," she scolded as she felt his muscles start to relax under her ministration.

"And don't be late next time," she told him as she sent him on his way with a slap on the rear.

I wish that I could have taken a photograph of the look he gave her as he started to move back towards the house. It contained shock, outrage and, perhaps, a hint of something more, too!

Samson raised an eyebrow in my direction.