Life and The Young and Stupid

Women and men do not understand each other well. The biological differences between us create a I don't get you feeling, all the time. I have realized though that as time goes on, we do start to understand each other better. Women lose estrogen, men lose testosterone, and we start meeting in the middle. Older people have a kinda I understand feeling between them.
Young men in particular are handed a horrid thing by nature, constant thoughts of sex. Dynamic and powerful bodies which when taken care of can move hundreds of pounds. Intelligence blinded by the need to procreate.
Sometimes this "gift" of nature finds itself misdirected at those who have lived awhile. We older and more experianced men who have seasoned with time, learned to control our nature, and grown to be "better" people.
This is a story-True, about a younger man who decided to challange me one day. He will never live it down, but I'm sure is far more careful now.

I was driving down a back road in a small town on the border of california called mohave.
The street has one stop sign. I know this stop sign is there and "always" stop at it.
This particular day I was going to the market to pick up some items and stopped at the stop sign. A younger man suddenly appeared in his truck at the corner, doing a "california" roll through at a high rate of speed. I saw him, and dutifully hit the brakes. He suddenly stops and screams out his window at me, You stupid @@@@ watch the @@@@ stop sign. I looked at him with the begininng of an anger only men understand, and hit the gas driving past him.
This in turn really pissed him off. The street is double wide but only 1 lane. There are cars lining the curb and children playing out on the front yards. But there is enough room for a car to fit between the median line and the parked cars.
Our young hero decides to come blazing up next to me between me and the parked cars oblivious to everything but his rage and starts screaming explitives at me. Ending with the phrase: Do You Wanna Fight?
Normally I would have just kept driving, but the dangerous disregard this "man" had for the property and lives of others really ticked me off.
So I looked him in eye and said yea-pull over right there.
He parked, I parked
What he didn't know was that after the death of my friend I had decided it was time to start excercising more. I had been lifting weights,working a stair stepper,running, and returning the muscle mass I was so proud of in my youth.
I had played Football, was a wrestler, hockey,basketball,and a life guard . I worked hard labor jobs in my late teens that had me unloading salt trucks, 80 lb bags-50 tons at a time. You never really lose your strength-it just gets flabby. But with exercise it comes back very quickly. So I was in good shape.
After climbing out of his car he stood there staring at me. I was a bit taller than he but much older. He was in his late 20's. He hestitated.
I looked at him and said "Well fat mouth bring it on" gesturing with my arms to come forward. He complied, walked up to me and swung at my face. He punched at my check. I turn my head with the punch and his fist grazed my check bone.
After his "assault" I simply reacted with a wrestling move. Grabbing him in a head lock and rolled him to the ground. He went down like a bowl of jello. deciding that since he hit me first, I would hit him back I raised up a fist into the air and crashed it into his lower abdomen. He reacted with moderate pain.
Suddenly from out of no where, we were surrounded by 30 or 40 people all screaming fight, fight. I was distracted and released my grip. Somehow he managed to get me around the neck and started to choke the daylights out of me.
Realizing in a split second that this dude is serious and trying to kill me. I kicked off the ground as hard as I could . Rolled over him. Hit the ground butt first, swung around and grabbed him by the neck between my legs. Locking hard and squeezing enough to hurt I looked at him and said.
You see all these people dumbshit-In 3 minutes or so you and I are going to jail. I am going to let you go , get back into my car and leave. Do not attack me again. I released him, started to walk back to my car while the gathered crowd started screaming way to go old man. You sure showed him.
Several youngsters followed me to the store to congratulate me and wondered where I learned the moves.
I wasn't real proud of my behavior that day. But I'm certain this young man will never be so stupid again. The embarrassment must have killed him, and he learned a valuable lesson.
Never judge a book by its cover.

Gary