Does it matter WHO says "duck" or "Watch out!"? In YOUR mind, the answer seems to be YES!!!! My goodness Wrangler, in your mind you seem to believe that a woman isn't capable of discerning DANGER or making a sound decision, that may be contrary to her husband's...and even beneficial to him.
No mamm, he's right. It happened to me!
One time wayyy back in the early years when we wasn't even married yet, she was pregnant and about to pop and we were on the city bus one day and Two guys were playing the 3 shell game and gambling. They were playing across the isle from each other and we sat right in back of them and watched them. She could speak very broken English at that time and had to have many things explained to her still. Like for instance, coming from Poland she had never seen a black man before, much less some jive con artists, lol and these were them men, working together even! I figured that out. So the one guy loses 20 bucks to the guy with the shells, he picked it up and the pea wasn't there. There's still two shells left, and he said double or nothing and the guy was hee hawing about it and my pregnant GF reaches up and says I know where it is and flips one over...and she's right!
So the guy hands her 20 bucks and I already know this guy aint letting us off the bus with his $20! So I immediately took it from her hand and handed it back to the guy and said, she wasnt playing...And it was on! The shell guy kept handing the $20 bill back to her and I kept taking it and giving it back, and the other guy is telling my GF that he'll put up his money and she picks them and they split the winnings...(LOLL!)
I took the $20 one last time and said loud, no we wasnt playing and I got up and helped my girl to the door and we got off. I felt a lot better! That was close...waitaminute why did that bus stop again only 20 steps from where it was? Uh-Oh, here they come. Both of them. Same two guys. She was trying to ask me what's going on? And here comes the two guys straight up the sidewalk towards us. I took that side street, 11th & High Street on the OSU Campus area, people everywhere. I start walking up 11th st and boy they started quick stepping to catch up to us, and they did.
I had my pregnant GF that barely speaks english there on one arm and those two punks in front of me. And she ca pick them and I'll stake the money and we split the winnings? Over and over. And the Shell guy is trying to hand her a 20 dollar bill again, you won this now let's play...(Sigh...) I told him no we wasnt playing and he says, well I just wanna know that if she would have lost, does she have the money to pay, because if she does then this is her $20!
I swear to God I never seen a girl whip out her wad of cash so fast and flash it to him. (She wanted the $20!!) She understood that much, lol. She put her cash away again in her purse. Then the big guy who supposedly wantted to stake her starts edging closer to me and enters my space. I gave up ground and stepped back and he going on with his fast jive talking but he still edging closer to me. I stepped back again. I didn't want to shoot anybody but they knew her cash was in her purse so the baby might get hurt if they knock her down and snatch the purse. Now of course I was wearing a Colt 1911 45 on my hip, that is after all, Columbus!
Now I gave up ground twice and it wasnt happening again. I was worried and shifting my stance a little. Big boy got close again and I think he telegraphed his intentions to sucker punch me and go for the purse. I felt it coming so I acted preemptively and took one half step back off the curb and I assumed a firing grip on my pistol...but I didnt draw it. And Shell guy almost falls straight down on the grass and big boy raises both his hands and steps back, like, we all friends here! My GF knew that I carried a pistol so she seen what I did and realized, something serious is going on here...
And I took her by one arm and backed away from those two guys (who continued to retreat!) and I said, let's run and sh ran with me without protest this time, lol.
She messed up bad and it could have been very bad. She could'a lost the baby easily or someone could have died easily! I don't want to gun people down in front of my GF! I only need to protect her and what is mine. So by the grace of God (Thank you Jesus!) everything turned out just fine. Oh, she messed up bad but out on the street is not the time to talk about it. I back her up even if she was wrong and caused it. We can have a talk later after we get home...little girl! Geez! Almost got somebody killed, lol. So I taught her about Hustlers and jive black folk. Mexicans too some of them or people from every race have punks with no conscience. So I brought her up to speed and she learned and grew. I gave her a break and still kept her, lol. But she did let me assume command at some point because...she wasnt going to solve that problem. She's young girl and knows next to nothing. She knows now though and too much more, lol. She was a fast learner.
I thought I did the manly thing in that situation. I protected her and the threat was real. And I was all practiced up and was pert darn good already. So carrying that pistol gave me time to think. It held the key to peace for all. I didn't want to shoot anyone. That's not why I started carrying one. Just to protect myself and my Family. That's the man's job and a Brand new Colt 45 back then was only $400 out the door! I was already a reloader of my own ammo. Gun powder was like $8 a pound back then! Primers $10 for 1000 of them! I had so much ammo that...I got real good with that pistol!