Hitman's Journey Back in Time

by Joshua Schank

  Ricardo smiled. “That’s really good to hear.”

  Ben walked into “Victory Martial Arts Academy” for the second week. He survived his first week of training. Ben wondered what his new training for this week would be after spending a week only hitting a punching bag.

  “Well, welcome back, sunshine,” said Ricardo smiling. “I didn’t think you would be back. Most people quit within a week, and the way you hobbled out of here on Friday, I thought ‘no way is he coming back.’ I at least know you aren’t a quitter now.”

  “So, what’s the plan for the day?” Ben asked.

  Ricardo pointed in the direction of people wrestling. “You will go over to John, and he will teach you all about wrestling…fundamentals and all. He will teach you the art of taking someone down and preventing them from taking you down. He will also teach you jiu-jitsu.”

  Ben smiles, “That works for me.”

  Ben walked over to a muscular built man that easily hovered over six feet tall.

  “I was told I’m going to be with you today,” said Ben.

  “Great! Have a seat and wait your turn,” said John.

  Ben watched as two boys in their teenage years wrestling each other. One is trying and struggling to take the other one down. The other one had a strong lower body and legs and is able to prevent the boy from taking him down. The boy finally put his head correctly on the boy’s lower stomach and is able to drive through, taking the boy down. It took several minutes and tries, but he prevailed.

  “That a boy, Ritchie,” said John.

  Ritchie finally had the technique down, and it didn’t matter how well the other boy defended. Ritchie is able to take him down three straight times before John had enough.

  “Ok, next two up,” said John.

  The next two people up were two young men in their early twenties. They both had a similar built and appeared to have similar abilities. They both had their moments taking the other down, but they also both had a good “take down defense.” John thought to himself, it would definitely be interesting to see these two wrestle in a match.

  Ben is finally called up. When Ben looked at the person he’s going against, he felt very confident. He is going against someone that is around fifteen-years-old and is very skinny. The boy looked to weigh around 130. Ben is eighteen-years-old and weighs 170 pounds.

  Ben went for the takedown, only for it to be stopped. Ben thought it was only luck and kept going for it only to be stuffed each time. Ben shook his head in disgust.

  “Stop with the woe is me crap, and take him down!” John yelled.

  Ben charged in with all his force and seen the boy hop back a little, but once again, he had no luck taking him down.

  “Step back, son. I’ll show you how it’s done,” said John.

  John grabbed the boy’s leg. “You are going to place your left ear on his lower stomach.” John then put his ear on the boy’s lower stomach and took him down with ease. He did it gently and slow motion for Ben. “Now, it’s your turn,” said John.

  Ben charged in and planted his left ear on the boy’s stomach but is still having difficulty.

  “Use the force from your head!” John shouted.

  Ben listened and finally got the boy on the ground. Ben got up jumping with hands high in the air. This drew laughs from the other wrestlers. Ben began taking the boy down with ease. Not only did he have the technique down, but overall, he is much stronger than the boy. Ben would go on take the boy down seven straight times before John called the next two people up.

  Ben took a water break, and when he came back John had moved on from wrestling to jiu-jitsu.

  “I need two volunteers,” said John.

  Five people’s hands went up in the air. He picked two people. He knew their names, so apparently they had been coming to the gym for quite some time. The two boys’ names were Michael and Brandon.

  John instructed Michael to be on bottom and Brandon to be on top. Michael’s back is on the floor with his legs in the air, as he is in the guard position. Brandon is on top of Michael in top position.

  “First, we are going to work on the triangle choke. Michael, wrap your legs around Brandon’s neck. Brandon, you try and escape,” said John.

  Brandon tried to escape by putting his hands around Michael’s legs, trying to break them free from his head. Michael’s legs ended up being way too powerful, and Brandon began to frantically tap, by slapping his hand multiple times on the mat.

  John laughed. “Well, Brandon, I think that you learned that being on top doesn’t mean shit when it comes to jiu-jitsu. You also learned that you need to keep your head up.”

  John turned away from Brandon and Michael and looked at the others watching. “I will say though, that unless you are an expert in the art of jiu-jitsu, that you definitely don’t want to be on the bottom, as the person on top can land a lot of head punches. Not only that, but if no one finishes each other, the judges usually give the decision to the person on top, even if that person didn’t do much damage or ever come close to submitting that person. I’m going to show you guys the arm bar, and then, I’ll let you team up in two’s. Michael, fall back in with the group. Brandon, you will now get on top of me.”

  John lied on his back in the guard position. Brandon got on top as instructed.

  “Now, start throwing punches to the face,” said John. John seen Brandon had a concerned looking face. “Oh, don’t you worry. I fought against guys five times your size, boy. Go ahead, and give me your best shot.”

  Brandon went to cock back, and as he’s bringing his right fist down towards John’s face, John grabbed Brandon’s arm and trapped it in deep. He then rolled over and is able to push the arm back further. Brandon’s face is bright red, and he began tapping like a mad man with his left hand.

  Brandon got up frustrated. “I think I’m done for today,” said Brandon.

  “That’s ok, you made a good guinea pig for the rest of the people,” said John.

  Everyone laughed. Brandon left for the day.

  Ben got teamed up with someone by the name of Josh. Josh made Ben look silly on the ground. Ben had no answers for the triangle chokes, arm bars, or even leg locks. It’s obvious to Ben that Josh had a lot of prior experience, as John didn’t show them how to do leg locks. While Ben was on the ground, he had no answers. He did get Josh prematurely in a triangle choke, but Josh broke out of it easily and within a few seconds.

  “Practice is over. Great job, everyone!” John exclaimed. “I hope to see you all here for the rest of the week.”

  Ben walked up to Ricardo. “So, what are we doing to do today?” Ben asked.

  “I’m going to put you in the ring today and see what you’re made of,” said Ricardo.

  Ben is shocked. “I’m not ready for that yet. I haven’t done any sparring or any real stand up work yet.”

  “You sure didn’t think you had to wait two weeks ago. Keep in mind that you only get four weeks free, and then you have to pay just like everyone else. So, I think, now, is the time to get you trained in stand-up,” said Ricardo.

  Ben is very nervous about this. He watched as Ricardo walked over to another trainer and seen that he’s bringing over someone that looked around twenty-years-old.

  “This here is Rick. Just like you, he has no experience. He just started up last week. I will give you both 4 oz. gloves,” said Ricardo.

  Ricardo went to get the wraps and gloves.

  Ricardo came back with another instructor. Ricardo wrapped Ben’s hands while the other instructor wrapped Rick’s.

  “I’m going to have you two ‘fight’ as if it were a real MMA contest. There will be three rounds of five minutes each. If there isn’t a winner by that time, I will then decide the winner based on damage and octagon control. In between rounds, you will be able to hydrate and rest for one full minute,” said Ricardo.

  Ben stood in the ring opposite of Rick. He is very nervous and worried, because Rick is a little older and a little bigger as
well.

  Ricardo wasted little time in getting the fight to begin. “Ready, set, go!”

  Rick came charging in with several clean body shots to the body. Ben stayed up though. Ricardo laid a beautiful uppercut to Ben. Ben was dazed for a few seconds but regained his composure.

  “Ben, hit him, hit him now!” Ricardo screamed from outside the ring.

  Despite Ricardo’s pleas, Ben never once made an attempt to throw a punch. It was incredible that he wasn’t floored yet. He is taking quite the punishment with several hard body shots. Ricardo blew the horn to signal the end of the round.

  Ben sat on the chair in his corner trying to catch his breath. Rick, meanwhile, at his corner, looked like a mad man ready to dish out another punishing round to Ben. Rick didn’t even sit down for his short break. Instead, he was jumping and prancing around.

  “What the hell is wrong with you? He’s whipping your ass, and you won’t even throw one single punch!” Ricardo screamed into Ben’s ears. Ricardo grabbed a 12 oz. water and poured some into Ben’s mouth. “Let’s see something this round!”

  Ricardo sounded the horn to signal the start of the second round. The second round began just like the first round. Rick is teeing off on Ben, both with body and head shots. Ben is out of breath and in a lot of pain. He started walking away from Rick to avoid as much punishment as he could. Rick closed the distance quickly and threw another clean punch to Ben’s face that floored him. Ben isn’t knocked out though. He is quickly able to pull guard as Rick gets on top of him throwing bombs. Ben isn’t able to block any of Rick’s punches. Ben attempted a triangle choke, but Rick is way too slick and fast for Ben’s feeble attempts. The horn sounded and Ben couldn’t have been more relieved. Somehow, he survived the round.

  Ricardo shook his head. “You may suck at fighting, but you sure can take an ass whippin’. You are tough as nails, son. I’m still shocked that he didn’t finish you that round.”

  Ben had yet to attempt a punch, nonetheless land one. The horn sounded, and it is the third and final round. Ben’s only chance of winning would be to finish Rick, as he is too far behind on points.

  Rick threw a couple of head shots before going for the takedown. This is Rick’s first attempt at a takedown. He got a hold of Ben’s legs and body slammed him to the ground. Rick quickly began throwing bombs to Ben’s face. Ben once again tried to block Rick’s punches and once again, to no prevail.

  “Show me something now!” Ricardo shouted. “If you don’t show me something soon, I’m stopping the fight, Ben!”

  Ben’s face is becoming a bloody mess, and although there were still two minutes to go in the round, Ricardo has seen enough and blew the horn.

  Rick quickly got off of Ben and got to his feet throwing his arms in the air in excitement. Rick made growling sounds as he started pumping his fists in a downward movement excitedly. Ricardo helped Ben get back to his feet. “Are you ok? Do I need to contact the hospital?” Ricardo asked.

  Ben shook his head. “No, I’m fine,” said Ben.

  “You really should see a doctor,” said Ricardo.

  “No, I’m fine,” said Ben, who is still upset and sad over the fight’s result.

  “Are you sure you want to this anymore? You never even tried to throw one punch the entire fight,” said Ricardo.

  “I think I’m done. I knew that this was a mistake,” said Ben practically in tears.

  “It’s up to you. You showed a lot heart by not quitting. So, I’ll leave it to you. Go home, get some rest and think about it,” said Ricardo.

  Chapter 7

  Ben lied in his bed starting up at the ceiling. He never went back to the academy to resume his training. Part of it, is because he was still in pain from his beating. Another reason is that he was so ashamed of how he performed during the fight. It had been two days since his beat down. He heard yelling and screaming downstairs. Ben got up and grabbed a shirt and some shorts in investigate what was going on downstairs.

  As Ben walked down the stairs, he began making out what words were being said between Bill and Tina.

  “You’re nothing but a crack whore, and your son is a worthless piece of shit!” Bill shouted.

  “Don’t you dare, talk about my son that way!” Tina shouted back.

  “Well, why the hell not? He takes after you. Like mother, like son,” said Bill sarcastically.

  “You’re the worthless fat fuck,” said Tina.

  Ben had now walked to the outside of the living room. He could see what was going on between the two of them. They still had no idea that he was downstairs, though. Tina’s words really struck a nerve of Bill’s. He pushed Tina against the wall, holding her arms back.

  “Don’t you ever call me those words, ever again! I was laid off. I’ve always worked,” said Bill.

  “You’ve been laid off for three years,” said Tina.

  The room smelled like marijuana badly, as joints and pipes were all over the tables next to the chairs. There were several Busch and Coors Light cans all over the table as well.

  “I can’t deal with this bullshit anymore!” Bill shouted.

  Bill let go of Tina and walked over to the remote. He then picked up the remote control and threw it against the wall with all of his might, which caused the remote to break on contact with the wall.

  Bill began walking away from the living room. Ben quickly, quietly went to the stairs and up a few of them, just to get out of sight. Fortunately for Ben, Bill walked outside, instead of coming up the stairs. Ben heard the front door slam, and Bill’s car start up a few minutes later. This was when Ben realized that he had absolutely no choice at all but to get back to the martial arts academy. He already missed two practices. He thought to himself, maybe if I show up tomorrow, maybe, just maybe, they will give me another chance. He knew that there was a good chance that they wouldn’t take him back, but he had to risk that chance. He couldn’t take the risk of Bill coming home and beating him or his mom really bad. He needed to be trained and ready for something like this.

  Ben slowly got out of his 1982 Buick Regal at “Victory Martial Arts Academy.” The car was his grandfather’s car. The car is now ten years old, and Ben’s grandfather got tired of taking it to the shop for repairs, so he put a sign with a phone number on the car and parked it in front of his house by the road. Very few people called, and only two people came by to take the car for a test spin. With no solid offers, Ben’s grandfather, knowing Ben needed a vehicle, decided to give him the car for his eighteenth birthday.

  He knew that they probably wouldn’t give him another chance, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to face the “music” so to speak. Ben decided to give it a “go” and walked into the building. Jim is standing outside of his office door talking to a student. He waited patiently for Jim to finish up and notice him. Jim patted the student on the back and turned his attention to Ben.

  “What are you doing here? I thought you quit?” Jim asked.

  “Well, so did I,” said Ben smiling.

  “I really don’t have a problem letting you finish out the month for free. My concern is, I just don’t think Ricardo will give you another shot,” said Jim.

  “I’m not sure I have anything to lose by trying,” said Ben,

  “I suppose you are right. Good luck to you.” Jim said. Jim then walked into his office and closed the door gently behind him.

  Ben walked to the workout area looking for Ricardo. He spotted him in the ring with headgear on working with hand pads. The student is hitting the pads as Ricardo moved directions with his feet. Ben walked closer to the ring hoping Ricardo would notice him.

  “Circle right, circle left, circle right, circle left…” Ricardo kept repeating this continuously. The kid he is training appears to be about seventeen-years-old. The kid followed the same movements over and over again. Ricardo then went to swipe the boy’s head with the boy ducking and showing good movement.

  “Great hand and head movement. Keep it up, but now, I want you to move
much faster,” said Ricardo.

  The boy did exactly as he was told. He circled right and used his right hand to throw a punch into Ricardo’s padded hand. He then did the same with his left. He’s moving much faster and fluent now. The kid began to get a little cocky and danced a few steps back and came back moving forward again. He then went to hit Ricardo’s right padded hands when Ricardo swiped the boy’s head really hard catching him off guard. The boy was a little shook up, but he was ok.

  “You must never lose focus!” Ricardo shouted at the boy.

  This seemed to really anger the kid. The boy was once again very fluent and crisp with his hits to the pads. He began to duck his head much faster and seemed to be more aware of his surroundings.

  “Excellent job, son! Get yourself a drink of water,” said Ricardo.

  As the boy was walking over the drinking fountain, Ricardo noticed Ben.

  “What are you doing here?” Ricardo asked.

  “I’m sorry about missing the last couple of practices,” said Ben.

  “I don’t want to hear any excuses. You could have at least called if you weren’t going to show up. You know where the door is. I think it’s best if you leave very quickly,” said Ricardo in a very sincere tone.

  Ben began digging in his pockets. “Look, all I want is another chance. I have fifty bucks in my pocket.” Ben stuck out two $20s, and one $10 in front of Ricardo’s face. Ricardo shook his head.

  “This is your final warning! If you miss any more practices, I’m finished with you. Do you understand?” Ricardo asked.

  “Yes, sir,” Ben replied.

  “Put that money away, and get yourself on that empty bag over there,” said Ricardo.

  Ben put the money back in his wallet and his wallet back into his pants pocket. “Sir, no disrespect, but I want to get in the ring and fight,” said Ben.

  Ricardo laughed. “Are you out of your mind? It was an embarrassment watching you last time. You’re not ready for ring fighting right now. Get yourself over to that bag (Ricardo pointed his finger at the bag he wanted Ben to go to).”