What gives?
As I approach our area, I see some guys heading towards where Max was sitting, enjoying a coffee. It looked like more food. She can eat almost as much as I. When she was hungry, I don’t know where she managed to put it all. I am used to seeing girls eat almost nothing, and way too much salad for my liking.
Max looks up at the men; they must have greeted her, and one dared to sit beside her, picking up the other sandwich. She snatched it back off of him, and I could hear her from here telling him to leave her alone.
He moved his hand to rub it against her face, but she reacted quickly, grabbing his wrist and twisting it hard, making him fall in the direction of the twisted hand. I moved faster, running to reach her. Was that why the other guy approached me, to delay my return?
Before I could reach her, others had come out to find out what the noise was about.
But Max had jumped to her feet, grabbed the man by the head, and kneed him in the face, throwing him backwards with the momentum. The other two guys moved forward, but Bruiser was there, and our guys held them back.
Max stood over the man, who was on his back, blood pouring from his broken nose, cursing her, and using words I only use in my head.
“What? Didn’t I make myself clear when I said I was not interested?” Max was replying to the man on the floor.
“You didn’t have to break my nose.” He touched his face and winced in pain.
“You said you enjoyed it rough, was that not rough enough? Did you get the message? I am taken and not interested in cheating.” Max was using her calm, soft, steady voice, even Bruiser was smirking, understanding that tone.
“Lady, you should just have said no.” He shouted out. Now, the crowd was growing, and so was his confidence, scrambling up to his feet.
Max smiled at him. If this man pushed her far enough, he would find out that a broken nose was the least of his worries.
“Are you now suggesting I hadn’t said no?” Max asked, as I weaved my way around the crowd, and stood by Bruiser.
“That man was going to wish he kept away from here, at the rate he was pushing Max’s buttons,” Bruiser whispered, with a low chuckle, our gang knew not to interfere, when it’s a fair fight, and although a six foot guy, might look to be bigger and stronger, against my smaller toned, girl, but don’t let that fool you, in this fight, I can already picture my girl coming out on top.
I nodded in agreement to Bruiser, along with Prez and a few others who were standing near us. The two men who had been restrained struggled to be released.
Max watched the two struggle as they waited for the one on the floor to answer her question.
“Let them go; they can take this numbskull away. Get some medical attention to his nose; he might want some ice on it.” Max’s voice was still calm, soft, and deadly to anyone who didn’t know she was angry.
Very angry.
They moved to help the guy, who still hadn’t answered her question.
“This ain’t over, sweetheart.” He spat at her, and the two men took an arm each, put it over their shoulder, and limped him away.
The men gone, the crowd dispersed.
“Max, don’t be alone for the rest of the stay,” Prez said, as he watched the retreating men.
Max shrugged, sat back down, and picked up a wrapped sandwich and lifted it, offering it to me, her smile back on her face, as if nothing had just happened, somehow hers was still intact and not covered in dirt, and both coffees were still standing as well.
“Don’t worry, Prez, I won’t leave her side, even going to the bathroom, she can either enter the men’s, or I will enter the ladies,” I said, taking the offering and sitting beside her.
“You will not enter the ladies, no way.” She barked back faster than I could blink.
“Okay, then we use the men’s.” In a lot of ways, it would be fine for her to use the men’s, which was often empty, because we use the water run outside.
Max didn’t argue as she continued to eat her meal, and I started mine. It was cold, but still tasty. I watched the crowd, and was worried about what just happened, it was rare for a woman to fight a man like that, usually, it was the man to step in, like I should have, but I was too far away, detained by the idiot, even though I tried to leave him behind, my gut was telling me to return.
Bruiser sat beside me, Cricket on the other side of Max, both with plates of food on their laps, and started eating together like this, showing those passing by the solidarity we had with our own; we had each other’s backs, as it should be.
We protect our own.
“Max, do you want to talk about it?” Cricket asked her hand to touch Max’s arm softly.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.