Knife in a dark alley

During high school I spent some time with friends going out for a drink or to
dances or to pick up girls. Because we were young, inexperienced and we were
afraid of getting beat in the disco, we were always together. Honestly, we were not
really successful picking up the girls. That meant we spent more time drinking
alcohol.

Once when we were drinking beer at the pub, one guy who was friend of our
band members came and asked us for help with some punks who needed a lesson. I
actually did not know the guy very well and he had bad reputation, but my friends
agreed to help, so I had to go. There were six or seven of us. Fifteen minutes later
we found the five punks and our guy started to argue with one of the punks. A small
fight began. At first just two of the guys were fighting and the rest of us was watching.
Two minutes later there came more guys from the other group and there suddenly
were ten or twelve punks around. And then the mass fight began.

Soon I was standing against a guy with a knife. I did not know what to do as I
was kickboxer and not a street fighter. I stepped back as he was slashing the air in
front of me to make me scared. He was quite successful. I was really scared. Then I
stumbled on something, slipped and fell down. As I got up, my leather jacket was
grabbed from behind and I fought for a few second to free myself.

“Fun is over, when there are knives around. I am out of here. I am not going to knife fight because of a guy I barely know.” Two guys kicked me and I ran. They were chasing me through the
dark alleys for a mile but as I was a sportsman, they could not catch me. They
stopped and so did I. “Now what? What should I do? Should I return and fight?”

One guy from our band (he had to run even before I did) came to me and we decided to
leave the fight. My new leather jacket was cut multiple times and the holes persuaded
us not to go back. Matus was more experienced in street fights and told me that
others probably already fled, so it made no sense to go back and take a beating or
get stabbed. We left the place and waited for the others in other street which was full
of people. Every one of us came back, but one guy’s face was swollen with bruises.

The guys planned revenge, but I knew I will not take part in it. We left for home. The
next day I had to explain to my parents why my jacket was cut. I did not have to
explain my bruises as they got used to them because of kickboxing lessons. I made a
decision that I would not go for beer with guys who are trouble makers. Later I found
out that some of them were in prison for public riots and Matus was jailed for
narcotics sale.

Lesson learned: Be selective who you spend your time with and who you call
a friend. Usually the guys who start the fights, flee as first once the situation becomes
serious. The guys who were reluctant to go for a fight stay longer. That is why we
say: “Graveyards are full of heroes.” When you fight one to one, it is different. But
when you are in a mass fight and it gets serious, don’t become a victim, flee.

It might look like a big part of my life was fighting. The opposite is the truth, but
normal situations are probably of no interest to you, so I pass them and skip to the
interesting parts of my life. It is the extreme situations which determine who you will
become as they shape your character. You are probably not interested in all the hard
work and boring activities which lead to success. I am fighter deep inside, but I avoid
fights. After I had practiced kick box almost for two years I decided that education
comes first so I focused on final exams and stopped practicing. I also focused on
school to make my father proud of me.

After I quit kickboxing my daily routine changed from everyday training and
studying, I found out that girls can be interesting too. During my top training
kickboxing period there was no time for girls. All my time and energy was spent on
boxing and school. Male friends were more important as it is safer to go outside at
night when you are part of a group, but what is the benefit of bringing girls with you or
to spend time with them? I considered girls silly and a waste of time at that time.