Chad was bored. He had spent the first couple hours being angry at Rico, then angry at himself, then feeling miserable for himself. He couldn't sleep. He could only hang there, and wait. By morning he was no longer angry, and only slightly miserable. He was mostly bored. He had already counted the number of floor boards going across the gym floor 214. The main gym was bigger probably 500 maybe more. He would count them if he ever got out of here.
Then the door opened, and some women started filing in. Turned out Rico was holding the door. Coach Sinclair entered talking. Chad felt flush all over. He was naked hanging from the ceiling, and even thoughhe knew he wasn't shaped like a man anymore, he felt embarrassed about hanging there naked.
"Yes, this is our first women's self defense class, but I think it will be the first of many. Today, Rico will be leading the class. Today is just about basics. How to kick and how to punch. We'll only be working with a punching bag today. Next week, you'll get to punch a guy in a padded suit."
Rico had sidled up next to Chad bag, leaned in and whispered, "Well, bag boy, wanna be my padded suit next week?" Then he added, "I'll go comanndo in you."
"Without further adieu, Rico!" Coach said.
Rico stepped away from the bag, "Yo, ladies. I'm Rico. Today we're going to pretend that this bag is a bad guy. I'm going to teach you how, and wear to kick and hit to do the most damage. So if your date decides to take advantage of you, or a mugger goes after your purse, you will be prepared to defend yourselves."
He walked over to his gym bag, and took out a photo. He held it up, saying, "It helps to put a face on the punching bag. It sort of personifies it. Here ladies is our bad guy!"
Carol-Ann laughed, "That's Chad!"
"Yeah, Chad from the school play."
Chad realized that Rico must be holding an 8x10 from the school play. Chad had been dressed in a black and white prisonsuit as a shackled prisoner in their musical adaption of the old black and white movie, the Defiant Ones.
Rico taped the photo facing outward from the punching bag, so that Chad couldn't see it.
"So any of you ladies who aren't afraid of criminals, can still take their aggressions out on Chad," Rico chuckled. Half the women in the class had "dated" Chad.
Rico demonstrated different hits on Chad. First, a karate chop to his throat, hitting just below the photo. Next a knee to the groin. Then a toe kick to the groin. Then an elbow to the solar plexus. So on and so forth.
"Now if you have weapon use it. Keys are perfect for gouging out an assailant's eye, but they'd ruin our punching bag, so we will only use our hands and feet today. Oh, and elbows and knees. Also if your assailant is right behind you," Rico said backing up until his bubble butt touched the punching bag, "then you can head butt him in the nose." Rico slammed his head back hard into Chad's photo.
The punching bag swung backwards, then forward knocking Rico over. He laughed as he got up on his feet.
"Forgot the most important part. After you head butt the guy, run. Ladies, I don't care how much you paid for your high heels. Kick them off when you run. Your life is worth more than a pair of shoes."
Next Rico had them form a semicircular line around Chad. Each woman took turns hitting, kicking, kneeing, elbowing and headbutting Chad.
About a third of the young women had taken a turn when a half dozen middle-aged women arrived. Chad heard a familiar voice.
"We're not too late are we? For the self-defense class?" Chad's mother asked.
"Not at all, just watch what these ladies are doing and I'll give a quick recap of what I said earlier."
"Jennifer, Chad is probably out with his buddies. You shouldn't worry," said a lady to Chad's mom.
"I know, Amber, but I still worry."
Rico's ears perked up when he heard Chad's name.
He asked, "Something the matter?"
"Oh, Jen's boy didn't come home last night. He's a big football player, an adult, but she still worries."
"Amber, Chad is an adult, but he has never failed to call or text me when he wasn't going to be home for dinner. I feel that he's in trouble. Mother's can sense those sort of things."
"Chad? The quarterback?" Rico asked suddenly nervous. He hadn't expected Chad's mother to come looking for him, at least not here. He stole a glance at the punching bag. She couldn't possibly know, could she?
"Yes. The big blond with curly hair. You haven't seen him, have you?"
"Well, uh, you see..." Rico fumbled his words not sure what to say.
Carol-Ann intervened, "Rico's just flummoxed because we were pretending Chad is the punching bag. You see over half the girls here dated your son, and so it was Rico's little joke. He put your son's photo on the punching bag. He just didn't know you'd be in the class. Here let me take that photo down." Carol-Ann handed Chad's mother the photo. Then she grabbed a stick of chalk from a nearby blackboard, and drew a happy face on the punching bag where the photo had been. She said, "There now we still have target to karate chop in the neck. Okay, Rico, get back to your demonstration. "
"Uh, thanks, Carol-Ann," Rico said, "Sorry about Chad. I'm sure he's hanging around somewhere," glancing at the punching bag, "but getting back to the class...."