Taj's Early Years

by Lotta Bangs

  * * *

  The Evans girls were all remarkably attractive and intelligent, and almost as quick at picking up perfect form as Paul. They also had an unusual sweetness about them, and while not shy, were way more modest than the girls who had approached Paul.

  The male students showed great interest in them, but it was never overwhelming. Apparently the girls were quite accustomed to masculine attention, especially when they went out as a group. They played the field easily but without injuring anyone’s feelings.

  I watched them with as much interest as the guys did, but only to try to learn their techniques. They made great role models.

  * * *

  Next morning, after a warm-up calisthenics session, I taught the class how to fall without causing injury, then proceeded to the many throws used in the three karate styles. After they had each practiced throwing and being thrown, I had the students form two concentric circles, asking tall persons to intersperse with short ones and heavy ones with lightweights.

  The inner circle members moved clockwise and threw five outers. After that the outer circle people went anticlockwise and threw five inners. This way everyone became used to throwing a wide variety of body builds.

  Most of the students were surprised that the heavies were much easier to throw than the long lanky types. Not only was their center of gravity often very difficult to determine, but those long legs and big feet seemed glued to the floor.

  As the shortest person, I demonstrated my various techniques for throwing very tall guys.

  “Usually a kick, shoulder or head butt into the abdomen to double him over, and a push or hooked kick on the back of his legs will bring the man down. Follow this quickly with an arm lock to immobilize him.

  “But you will all need to learn how little force to apply in a competition so as not to damage your opponent. In a street attack, you’ll probably want him hurt.

  “If the legs are straddled, any low blow to the genitals will bring a man down and put him out of commission for a while. Of course this is illegal in competition, but is often the easiest thing to do when attacked.

  “Even a feint to the genitals will often cause him to bend over protectively, then a punch to the jaw or a hook kick behind a knee will bring him to the floor.

  “But you need to be careful he doesn’t fall on top of you and bring you down with him.” I demonstrated on my obliging partner.

  “The various hard jabs to nerve nexûs on hands, elbows, shoulder and neck will easily crumple him with little exertion on your part, but again, you need to learn the amount of pressure that will work in competition, and the little you need to get just a minimal effect in practice.”

  I had them all jab each other in the Valium spot at the base of the thumb and forefinger join, then showed them a few of the less dangerous nexûs with which they could control an assailant.

  “Learning to throw and be thrown safely is an essential part of most martial arts. Sadly these activities are not conducive to breakthroughs. You have to master them the hard slow way through a lot of practice. We’ll be doing plenty of that this week.”

  * * *

  After brunch we returned to doing kata. Paul’s sisters were all in the first ten to achieve perfect form and corrected other people’s stances as if they had been doing this for years. Paul slipped in one of the previous kata as soon as they had helped two other persons to cross over in the general kata. Within a short time they each required only two to four repetitions to perfect any one.

  The guys working the new kata stepped in regularly to attack the girls, a few marking them deliberately. But these girls were tough and self-composed. They didn’t cry or hug their assailants after their achievement. Not that this discouraged any of the interested fellows.

  With Paul’s help on the side, his sisters soon caught up with the rest of the class, and from then on were up with the leaders. I noticed that they too gravitated to attacking the guys who had helped them find success.

  So Don Evans’ daughters weren’t as tough as they pretended to be. The guys who had given them their first breakthrough joy had scored major points in the mating game.

  * * *

  For the next week we continued giving four long classes a day, starting at 5.00 AM, 10.00 AM, 2.00 PM and 7.00 PM. I supervised each session; Paul and his sisters were usually at three each.

  Over two thousand newbies joined the intensive classes, always beginning with Savate kata, learning to fall safely and throw and be thrown, then progressing to the various karate and other martial arts kata before learning the judo and BJJ throws. Only a few of the less dangerous nerve pinches and pressure points were taught.

  Discipline was maintained at all times. It was important to instil respect for their teachers and the bodies of other students who partnered them in the exercises. We were not teaching our students how to beat up others, but giving them the wherewithal to handle any bad situation with confidence.

  A wonderful bonus of having acquired perfect form in the strikes, kicks and fighting movements of the various disciplines was that the throws quickly became as easy as if perfect form had been achieved here too.

  Chapter 17

  Empowering Battered Women

  Over fifty, tired-looking ladies from a local women’s refuge joined the class on the third day. One of their officials had rung to ask if they could have a reduced price gym membership and whether we could provide extra security at the crèche so none of the abusive husbands could access the children. It was tax-deductible so I took them on gratis.

  We had only three fathers with children being cared for in our crèche, all well known to the staff, so any other men would be obvious. I ordered the stairwell doors locked on that floor so nobody could sneak in that way. Two silver-gloved, black belt females were stationed at a desk near the lift to vet any arrivals.

  We couldn’t prevent the fathers joining as members as we had no way to distinguish abusers, but any new male asking about crèche facilities was videoed and his tape shown to the battered women. We caught two guys that first morning. They were watched until the police came to arrest them for violating restraining orders.

  Another had the nerve to walk into our class after lunch. His terrified wife immediately ducked to the floor behind a larger man and several students closed in protectively around her. He noticed and headed towards her.

  I stepped in front of him. “Sorry, sir, but you cannot join the class at this late stage. You will need to book into the next one starting.”

  “Out of my way, kid. I came to get what’s mine.” And he reached out his left hand to swat me away.

  Within two seconds I had him floored and twisted like a pretzel with his left elbow dislocated. He roared his pain.

  “So who’s a sooky baby then? Like to dish it out to women and children, but can’t take a little pain yourself, eh?” Everyone laughed, including the battered women, quite animated at seeing a known abuser get some back.

  The class continued working, around him as he sat whimpering, until the police arrived. I then had to unlock his dislocated arm which caused another bellow.

  “You’re awfully noisy, aren’t you? I’m afraid that elbow will probably pop out easily from now on. I’m going to teach your wife how to do that every time you come near her again.”

  I then released the nerve pinch to untwist the other arm so he could be handcuffed securely. He glared his hatred at me as I loosened one of his legs. He yelled again when he was hit with vicious pins and needles as the circulation was restored.

  “Heavens, it’s only pins and needles. You’re not going through labor. Buck up and act like a man. I bet each of your children makes less fuss than you do.

  “Please don’t try anything when I release your other leg, or I might be forced to break it. I’d probably enjoy that, but you won’t.” I gave him the vicious smile I usually reserve for pedophiles.

  The cops were impressed. Six of them joined my next class and more came later.


  The battered women really took heart after seeing one of the abusive men handled so easily by a small bossy child. It was wonderful to see the ladies regain confidence and self-esteem as they made breakthroughs and could see how much they had accomplished in just one long lesson.

  I really liked that each of them checked on her children at every break. It was usually fear for their kids that gave these women the courage to leave their abusers. If they could all learn that they had no need to fear the men further, they and their children could get a fresh start elsewhere.

  Paul and I visited the center after dinner and talked about their problems with some of the staff there. I was told that the most urgent need was safe cheap accommodation and childcare so the women could leave their children while searching for a job and working.

  * * *

  Back in our flat, I asked Maggie to find suitable space near Armando’s dojo to build basic residential units where single women could live safely with their kids and where I could house overflow guests doing my intensive courses.

  Maggie immediately located three suitable sites, but each allowed only three levels of apartments with garaging beneath. I’d need to build on all three to get enough space for what I envisioned, and providing security would be prohibitively expensive.

  Maggie suggested an alternative plan:

  ^^Taj, you could add six or more floors to your dojo with apartments which could be used as emergency accommodation for battered women as they do your courses. Allow Galen to run the crèche and cafeteria, and that will give you our doorway security which will keep out violent men.?? ^^

  “I was hoping to train most of the women as crèche attendants, servers in the cafeteria and as cleaners to give them part-time work while they studied for something better. Your idea removes most of those jobs.

  “Also, how is it possible to add so much to a structure already under construction without weakening it to unsafe levels?”

  ^^I’m afraid I haven’t been completely open with you, Taj. Your current building was erected by Galen, and like our towers, each goes up overnight with as few observers as possible.

  ^^The new dojo hasn’t yet been started, so changing the plan is no big deal. Even adding half a dozen or more floors to an established Galen building is a simple matter. Yet our building material Galenite is the strongest on the planet and our buildings the safest.^^

  “You mean, I could add six new floors to this building at any time?”

  ^^Of course, but then you would probably also need another two floors of underground car park and a basement storage area under that. Also it would be useful to have a shopping area on the ground floor with a bank and Galen shop and garage to get your fuel.^^

  “I might do that some time, as I’ve been feeling squeezed for space recently. But right now the other dojo is a priority.”

  ^^If you agree to raise the height of that building, Galen can build a tower shelter for women and children on the closest block to yours, which would be right across the street.

  ^^There, we’ll provide doorway security, crèche and schooling as well as counseling, and they can still do the menial work at your dojo. We’ll build in a secure underground access between the buildings so none of them even needs to appear on the street outside.

  ^^Galen already owns Armando’s cumbersome mansion and the huge block of land it sits on. We can put one of our usual towers there to take more women. You’ll find that once the ladies realize the many advantages Galen offers them in retraining and security, they’ll all join up. Children always thrive at Galen too.

  ^^We can put up all three buildings tonight so the new dojo will be ready for immediate occupancy.^^

  “Darn. The bust isn’t finished. I wanted it for the opening ceremony. Armando would want to be there too.”

  “That plaster carving you’ve been working on?”

  “Yes, Paul. It’s a likeness of my sensei. I don’t have any photos of him, though I have seen earlier shots, so thought I’d have it cast in bronze and set on a plinth in a niche outside the registration area. He was one of Armando’s early teachers too. I wanted to dedicate the building to him and call it Prospero’s.”

  ^^Is the carving done, Taj?^^

  “Yes, Maggie, but I haven’t found anyone to do the sand casting yet. The local college isn’t very good at anything artistic.”

  ^^I could handle that for you. We would take a flexible silicon mold which won’t damage the plaster at all. Then remove the mold, turn the silicon into galenite, swirl in the molten bronze in layers, building it up until it’s about an inch thick and attach a crossbar with a thick threaded base bar which would screw into a threaded socket in the top of the plinth. How high do you want the plinth?^^

  “Tall enough so he would be normal height. The man was five foot eight when younger. He’s shrunken about an inch and a quarter since.”

  ^^Okay. I’d suggest a simple scalloped cross-section column, slightly fluted, with square base and top about an inch wider all around than the bust, also in bronze, but a lighter, redder shade, with the bust more taupe, something like this . . . ^^ She showed a picture on the laptop.

  “That looks fine, Maggie. How long will it take?”

  ^^Already half done. I took the liberty of coating the original plaster carving in galenite colored a dull pewter shade and set it on a wood block. Go, have a look.^^

  * * *

  We traipsed into my room. My simple white plaster carving looked so much more elegant and sophisticated in pewter, the shadows more interesting. Horrie’s fierce indomitable spirit was there, and his love for me. I had used his earlier pics to extrapolate what he would have looked like at sixty without the brain damage. It had turned out well.

  “Maggie, that is absolutely superb. Thank you.”

  ^^All I did was coat it. I believe it was worth preserving. The sculptor is the one who made it a work of art. I can tell that you really loved that old man.^^

  “Yes, I do. I hope he gets a chance to see it one day.”

  Paul had sat down on the edge of the bed, just staring at the bust. He opened his arms and I automatically stepped in and was lifted onto his knee for a hug.

  “Which art school did you go to Taj?”

  “I’ve never studied art, but I enjoyed making that so much, that I might take some courses later. It’s quite easy to carve in plaster. The hard part is mixing the plaster fine enough so you don’t get any air bubbles.”

  “I’d think the difficulty would be in making the man look real. You didn’t even have a photo as a memory aid.”

  “I knew him well and had studied his face and expressions. He’d been tortured with electric shocks which destroyed a lot of his brain, so sometimes he just looked helpless, sad and vacant. I wanted to catch the love, tenderness, honor and strength. I have an eidetic memory, so that helps too.”

  “You’ve done a great job, Sweetheart. I’m proud of you.”

  “Thanks.”

  ^^Ahem, excuse me for butting into this private moment, but we haven’t finished our business yet.^^

  “Sorry, Maggie. We were admiring the way you finished my carving.

  ^^Taj, ask me for the plaster next time you want to carve. I can mix it in vacuum and preshape it roughly. Guaranteed, no bubbles.

  * * *

  ^^I’ll make you another offer. If you raise this building also tonight, add a second Galen-run crèche, cafeteria and various Galen-run restaurants, cafés and other eateries, bank and garage I’ll install the doorway security here too. You can then offer the women in your courses completely safe accommodation here where they could stay and probably work too.

  ^^You’ll need maids and more cleaners for the extra floors and they can also work in the shops, cafeteria and eateries. Our food is not cooked on the premises but all comes from Galen, already dished up and just needs to be ordered, served and paid for. Your ladies can do that as well as anyone.^^

  “Maggie, why are you trying to rush me into a decision without giving
me time to think?”

  ^^Because the battered women’s shelter is a first-rate innovative idea for attracting more good people to Galen, but it won’t work without your martial arts courses. And we cannot put up a single tower near your dojo because of the zoning limits, whereas we are allowed to put up two or more towers in the area.^^

  “You could build two women’s towers of your own.”

  ^^No, that wouldn’t attract the ladies. It would be more likely to scare them off. They’d see it as moving into some government-type institution. Whereas, if they start off living and working in your dojo, they’ll see the best aspects of Galen—the food, and how our system benefits their children—and they’ll join voluntarily, leaving vacancies for more women.^^

  “And just how much will all this extending and renovating cost me?”

  ^^I’ll do it for free because you’ll be doing Galen a great service which we cannot get without your help.^^

  “Okay then, make both of the buildings as tall as you like. I’m sure we’ll find some use for all the extra space. The students will be glad to move out of those crowded dormitories. We’ll have to order new furniture, bedding and laundry equipment. The laundry is another job the women could easily handle.”

  ^^No, you won’t need any furnishings, Taj. I’ve already included them and the renovations are complete. We’ll put up the other buildings later tonight.^^

  “I didn’t feel anything happen. Anyway, it’s still only evening.” I added absurdly, completely disoriented.

  Paul walked to the window and pulled back the curtain. We now had French windows and a new enclosed balcony outside with large planters full of thriving plants. Hopefully some of the women would have green thumbs enough to care for them. I sure didn’t. We were definitely much higher up than before.

  I felt gob smacked. Maggie and her Galen magic were just too overwhelming at times.

  She had been looking out for me since issuing my first ID. I couldn’t figure out if she saw her role as guardian angel or fairy godmother, but I was sure she loved me. And everything she did for me had proved to my benefit in the end.

  ^^Taj, you could send Armando and the other teachers back tomorrow with Paul to set things up. Paul will be safe there for a few days. He has other sisters in the area.^^