Out of Gas

by Randy Dyess

  During the discussions, Kelly admitted she loved working with her grandmother out in the garden every day when she visited her for the summer. She said she didn’t even gripe about having to get up extra early each day, so they could finish up the garden work before it got too hot. Mark gave her a funny look, since she had never told him about this and he still couldn’t imagine her with dirty hands and dirty feet.

  “What?” Kelly asked when she caught Mark looking at her.

  “I never would have imaged you with mud on your feet and dirt under your fingernails. I always pictured your visits to your grandparents as you sitting on the couch watching TV all day and not wanting to go out where the spiders were.”

  “I can grow a mean beet, mister, and don’t you ever forget that,” Kelly laughed along with everyone else.

  After they finished their gardening stories, Donna told them they had started taking some small vegetarian and ethnic cooking classes. She wanted ways to use all those vegetables so they would not have to eat boiled beets and mashed potatoes day after day. Owen said you would be surprised at how some of the Asian cooking methods fit perfectly in with small gardens.

  “Once you learn how to substitute something for the rice, you can get some great meals with little cooking times and a large variety of tastes.”

  “The second thing we started prepping for was the increase in crime that would follow a financial collapse. I think you believe in an increase in crime, but you haven’t done anything about it yet. Have you?”

  “Not really,” Mark replied. “It has been in the back of my mind, but I haven’t decided what all to do.”

  “Well, one of the things I would suggest is you get into great shape and learn how to protect yourself. I’m not talking about taking on an armed gang of thugs with machine guns and explosives like you read about in most ‘end-of-world’ novels. I’m talking about basic self-protection for the whole family, using some form of martial arts. Something you can use if someone tries to grab you or is trying to pull you out of your car. I think you both should also consider getting proficient with small handguns and shotguns. They are cheap and around here it is easy to find a gun range and take some marksmanship classes. Maybe you should even get your concealed handgun license.”

  “Do you think that is necessary?” Kelly wanted to know.

  “Think about it. The house you live in and the cars you drive make you a big target. Even the fact we have a garden and other people know we grow food makes us a target if people start becoming hungry. It may not be Martha who robs us while we are gone one day, but I wouldn’t put it past Martha’s grandson. He knows we have extra food. I’m not talking about becoming Rambo. I’m also not advocating shooting someone who wants your car or is trying to run out the door if you come home and they are robbing you. What I am talking about is protecting yourself and your family and having the confidence that comes from knowing you know how to protect yourself. A lot of street wise punks can tell the difference between sheep and wolves. Sheep are normal people who are scared of their shadow and are easy targets. Wolves are those who know how to protect themselves and it shows. You will get harassed a lot less if you are not a sheep but some sort of wolf. Now this doesn’t mean you will not get robbed or harassed if things do go south. Read about what happened in Argentina when their economy collapsed in the early 2000’s. Learn to protect yourself in some manner. Who knows, you might even enjoy some of it.”

  “We need to get you in touch with my cousin,” Mark said. “The last time we spoke, he sounded a lot like you. I believe he is running a training center south of Denton. It’s been several years since I’ve talked to him, so I don’t remember much, but he is an expert in some sort of Israeli martial arts. I can’t remember the name now because at the time I was more into myself and didn’t listen to what he had to say. All I remember thinking at the time was ‘blah, blah, blah’ and how I paid taxes so cops could protect me and my family.”

  “Did he happen to say Krav Maga?” asked Donna.

  “Yeah, that sounds familiar,” Mark replied. “You know about that stuff?”

  Owen looked at Mark and Kelly, “We believe everyone should be able to protect themselves in times of trouble. This doesn’t just mean me. It means Donna and the kids as well. We don’t believe in the old macho thing the man of the house is the sole protector of the house. Donna is just as capable as I am of defending herself, the kids, and the house if need be. In fact looking at her, you would not know that she could probably knock me out without breaking a sweat.”

  Kelly and Mark both did a double-take at the statement and looked at Donna. “I’ve been studying Krav Maga for about ten years, at a place just south of Denton. I bet your cousin is RJ. He’s my instructor.”

  “Damn, small world, isn’t it?” Mark exclaimed. “Before I forget again we are having a party here on Memorial Day. Figured why not use the place until we sell it. I’ve invited family and friends, but we would be honored if you came. RJ will be here and maybe you two can tell us more about what you study. I mean if you are not too busy taking care of your farm.”

  Mark looked at Owen and asked, “Did you have to get up early and work earlier this morning on your farm so you could come out here today?”

  “Not really. The garden did require some work, but it hasn’t taken off yet. Mostly we do watering, a little weeding, and fighting off bugs at this stage in the game. The heavy work comes at the end of June when everything seems to be ripening at once.”

  “What he means,” Donna added, “is we would be more than happy to come here for your party.”

  “Great,” said Mark. “We’ll send you an invite.”

  “Tell me more about Krav Maga,” Kelly interjected.

  “Krav Maga is a form of martial arts which was developed in Israel. Unlike some of the older martial arts, it is not based on a formalized structure system in which form is more important than actual usefulness in the real world. Not saying those forms are not useful, anything is more useful than what you know today,” Donna responded.

  “Yep, I wouldn’t want to come up against her in a dark hallway. Or come to think of it, yes I would, but that is another story,” Owen said with a laugh in his voice.

  Donna gave him a fake hit on the arm while everyone had a good laugh at her expense. Kelly had a lot of questions for Donna on her martial arts training. She wanted details after details on what training in Krav Maga was like. Did she get hurt or have to go to work with bruises or if she worried about her kids being bullies after all the training and violence? Donna spent some time explaining what Krav Maga teaches and how the training would help in today’s world. She brought up a few examples of students in the class using their knowledge to prevent getting robbed at an ATM. She told them how one of the kids in the class was able to fight off a man who tried to abduct her one day in the park. Donna even told Kelly about a situation at work when she kept showing up with bruises and even a split lip she received from some advanced training she was undergoing. Donna said one of the nurses took her aside one day and tried to counsel her on being abused and the options she had. She said she didn’t have to live like that and they were here to help.

  “What did you do?” Kelly asked, thinking what would happen at work if she came in with black eyes or a split lip. Then she wondered if anyone would care enough to even follow up on it.

  “I tried to explain to them what I was doing and the training in Krav Maga I was going through. They never really believed me until I brought in a tape of myself during training and after that they left me alone and started calling me Terminator.”

  After the laughter died down Donna added, “I would definitely talk to RJ about what he offers in his training facility. It is not all about Krav Maga, he also teaches other things which are useful.” Donna went on to explain about how they all exercised every morning with a round of Tai Chi to get the energy flowing followed by Yoga to stretch the muscles. She went on to explain three days a week they followed u
p with stick fighting exercises. She said she found them useful when she was attacked a few years ago after she got off her late-night shift. She used a collapsible baton she always carries and fought off three guys. She told them she sent the three attackers to the ER. While they were being treated, the cops found out the three thugs were responsible for a whole series of violent rapes up and down the gulf coast. The cops told Donna she was lucky, but both she and Owen knew it wasn’t luck; it was her training that saved her.

  Everyone became very quiet after this and Kelly broke the silence by asking Donna, “You said all of you practice together?”

  “Yes. All four of us take classes in Tai Chi, Yoga, Krav Maga, stick fighting, and marksmanship. The kids do great with the classes and we believe it teaches them valuable lessons for life. Lessons make them more confident in themselves while giving them the ability to defend themselves against all those bullies who seem to be cropping up everywhere. The discipline of proper training in martial arts keeps kids from becoming bullies. They understand their abilities and do not have to show it off to everyone like a bully does. The first time a girl half your size knocks you on your butt. Stands over you with a smile on her face, will be the last time you think about picking on someone else.”

  After the laughter died down Mark asked about guns. Owen responded to Mark by saying he and Donna did not always believe in guns. In fact, both of them were gun control supporters until there was a crime spree in Owen’s old hometown.

  “I happened to be talking to a friend from home when he told me about a gang that had been breaking into homes in my old neighborhood. The town had gone through a crime spree with several shootings and the city council got together and banned all guns. There were protests from the NRA and gun owners. A lawsuit was brought up and started making its way through the system. Meanwhile, many people agreed with the new rules and started turning in their guns. The local TV news even made a big deal about the responsible citizens turning over their guns to the police. Well, it didn’t take long, according to my friend, before the gangs moved in. It didn’t matter if you were home or not, they busted down your front door and stormed into your house and robbed you blind. In some cases they did much worse if they caught wives and girls at home alone. The gangs knew no one would be able to stop them because the police were too slow and a lot people didn’t have any way to protect themselves. My friend told me that in one night two of the guys we hung out with in high school were robbed. One of them we knew from our gun control meetings and the other was a hunter. We always suspected he had other guns in his house he didn’t talk about. The first one was brutally beaten and had to watch his wife and teenage daughters get assaulted and beaten to death in front of his eyes. He lived long enough to tell the cops what he had seen and provide a description of two of the robbers who had huge snake tattoos on their necks. After that, they said he just gave up and died.”

  Mark and Kelly had shocked looks on their faces from this personal experience Owen was telling them about, but Owen went on. “My other friend’s house was also broken into that night by the same group of punks. But this time things went a little different as Fred had started keeping a handgun near him due to the large number of violent home invasions taking place. Once the punks were through the door, Fred shot them all. All four of them were hospitalized and later put into prison for the murders they had committed. Fred was a hero to many in the town. He was also a pariah to the gun control people who controlled the town. They brought up charges against him for owning the guns and shooting the gang members. Apparently, it was not legal for him to protect himself in his own home if he had to do so with guns. The liberals would rather see his family raped and killed than consider the fact the man saved a lot of lives in the long run by killing those scum. The charges they put on him for gun ownership were dropped and he promptly moved away. We found out later one of the leading gun control advocates was murdered as well. He went to get his split from the robberies his own little gang was performing and they shot him. We became strong gun rights advocates after that day.”

  Everyone spent the next few minutes with internal thoughts before Owen continued his discussion, “The third thing we did in our prepping was to get ready for disaster scenarios. What would we do if the electricity went off for a week? What would we do if we couldn’t leave our house for a week? Those type of questions. Just look around at some disasters which are happening around the world and ask yourself what you would do to survive it. These exercises prep you for things that could happen but may never happen. They show you weaknesses in your other plans.”

  “Like what?” Mark wondered.

  “Like the fact you have two young kids and how would you entertain them once electricity goes off in a storm or off for a few days for other reasons. Also what would you do if you lose your air conditioning for a week in August and you couldn’t go to a hotel room or over to your parents. Most of our houses are pretty damn miserable in Texas summers without air conditioning. We don’t even have basements here like up north. Basements are always cooler than the house and when I was a kid I spent hot days in the basement playing.”

  “I haven’t thought about that. In fact, there are a lot of things I haven’t thought about.”

  “I think you will after tonight,” grinned Owen. “Look at all your plans and start poking holes in them based on what you believe will happen. You can always look at events that had happened in your area in the past to get a good idea of what you need to watch out for. Start with these and work your way up to larger events which may happen but have not happened in the past. I don’t think you’re ready to prep for an EMP burst. You are at the point to start thinking about what you would do if a major tornado outbreak hit and left this part of Texas without power.”

  “EMP?” asked Kelly.

  “It stands for electromagnetic pulse. EMP fries all electronics by creating an energy wave in them and shorting them out. You think high gas prices would be horrible. Try thinking about our world without any electricity or electronics left working. None of them will work and it could be decades before things start to come back to normal.”

  Owen and Donna spent a few hours discussing how they started preparing for a disaster. They had already started stocking up with extra supplies due to their concerns about the economy. Holding disaster drills helped to enforce the instructions they would need during a disaster and if the economy. Owen talked about the disaster game he created to come up with possible scenarios so they could discuss what they would do. He also discussed the “live” practice events they held periodically to verify if what they think they would do in a certain scenario would actually work. He told them these games and training events helped them to discover huge holes in their plans. They talked for an hour or so about the possible disasters that could affect everyone both on a local level and on a planet-wide level. The discussions became intense and they would have kept talking for many hours until everyone realized it was almost midnight and they needed to get the kids in bed. All the kids were already asleep on the couches when everyone went in. They kept the noise down to a minimum as Owen and Donna picked up Sera and Lelian and started for their car. “Thank you, we had a wonderful time tonight,” Donna whispered.

  “I feel as if you are the ones we need to thank. So, thank you and Owen for everything you told us today. I feel we came out ahead with all the new information we learned tonight,” said Kelly.

  Owen thanked Mark and Kelly. Mark said, “Why don’t you give us a few more weeks after the Memorial Day party to work things out. We can get together for another pool party and tell you our plans and compare them to yours.”

  “Are you sure you want to host us again?” Owen said. “We can get together at our house if you would like.”

  “Might as well make use of this monstrosity while we still have it,” Mark said with a smile. “After we sell and move away, we can take turns. Hell, we can even change it over from a pool party to a canning party like my grandmothe
r used to talk about. Spend the day talking while putting away jars and jars of beets or corn or something else. It would be good for the kids to learn not every Saturday is for fun. Something I just learned a few months ago myself.”

  Everyone chuckled and Owen replied, “Ok, it’s a deal. There is still a lot I can tell you if you want me to.”

  “We would love that,” Mark said, “and thank you again for all the information you shared tonight. It means a lot to me that you took the time to tell us all of this.”

  As Kelly put the kids to bed, Mark cleaned up and started thinking about everything he heard tonight. After putting away everything and closing up the house, Mark went upstairs and told Kelly, “We have a lot to discuss tomorrow, don’t we.”

  “Yes, we do,” Kelly said as she slipped into bed. Both Kelly and Mark were tired from their activities today and even with everything going on in their heads, both were able to promptly fall asleep.

  While in the car, Donna looked at Owen and asked him, “You’re going to tell him about the community and clan, aren’t you?”

  “I’m going to talk to RJ about it. I think he might want to bring it up. Even though they may not be ready to join up yet, I owe him.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Donna.

  “I never told you, but right after I came over to Plains some existing VP was angry because his friend didn’t get my job. He started a project and railroaded me into heading it and he set me up for failure. He did it in a way that not only would I have lost my job; it would have been horrible enough I might have been accused of embezzlement and fraud. I might have even gone to jail if he was successful. At the minimum, it would have ruined my career and labeled me as a criminal for the rest of my life.“