Had she been listening to their banter the entire time?

Karik looked up. He felt his heart race uncontrollably. His breathing became more difficult. His thoughts were no longer focused. He could swear that he was losing his sense of equilibrium. It was making him nauseous. Standing before me is the most beautiful being that nature has ever created, he thought to himself. She wore a short skirt that showed off her long shapely legs. Her ruffled blouse loosely draped her body. All of the waitresses wore the same outfit but none of them could make it work as well as she did.

Where Karik came from women were attractive but in a very different way. They tended to be earthy, and plain-looking, never wearing anything that would bring attention to their physique. Beauty was not seen in the same light as here. There, a woman's focus was the same as a man's, meaning they focused on study, self-improvement, philosophy, and the arts. It was different here, more sensual. Women were in complete control even though the men believed otherwise, but once again, actions speak louder than words. When a woman wanted to she could get a man to do anything they desired simply by hinting, ever so slightly, at the possibility of a sexual reward. Here women were astounding, albeit in an unorthodox way. However, if women looked and acted this way back home, our society would be turned inside out, Karik reasoned.

Yet reason was in no position to release Karik from his thoughts. He let his mind succumb to the beauty of his waitress. Each curve, carefully shown in spectacular detail, was added to by soft facial expressions, as she exuded strength, beauty, and fragility, all put together in a perfect package. And to his eyes, this female was the most perfect package of all.

"Although, Damon," continued their waitress, "your friend here has given me something to think about, but, baseball, a reflection of life? Could it be that you've taken a fastball to the head one too many times?"

"Women will never understand men and baseball. We just have to accept it, "Damon said to Karik who realized that not only was Damon embarrassed by her comment but he was also disappointed at not having anything he'd said taken seriously, especially by her. "Back to the important issue," he continued, "I'm having a pint of Bod's. What about you, Karik? I think I owe you at least a pint of something."

"I'll have the same."

The waitress left with their drink order but Karik nevertheless could not get the vision of her out of his mind. Focus your thoughts. This is not why you're here. Focus. Karik closed his eyes for a brief moment as he concentrated on his inner mind, forcing upon it calmness and stability. He envisioned studying in the fields of his homeland, the peace and tranquility conducive to mental awareness and control but even as he tried the visions in his mind included the waitress. He envisioned her in a long flowing dress dancing through the tall grass, smiling at him as he watched from a short distance. This was useless, he concluded, so he gave up and opened his eyes then exhaled exhaustively.

"Do have narcolepsy or something," Damon asked. "I've been calling your name for the past thirty seconds and you just sat there with your eyes closed. What's up with that?"

"It's nothing. I was just lost in thought," Karik replied as he decided it was best to quickly change the subject. "Damon, you don't owe me anything. It's an obligation to help when given the chance otherwise the purpose of the moment would have been missed, denying me the opportunity for growth."

"You are not real, man."

Karik caught a glimpse of his waitress at the bar as she stood with her back towards him waiting for their drinks. She was indeed beautiful from any angle.

"Abbey sure is something else," Damon said to Karik as he noticed him staring at her. "I don't think there has ever been a new guy who came into this bar, married or not, that didn't try to pick her up. It's her personality, you know. A lot of women are beautiful, but no one has her class, energy, and spirit."

"It sounds to me like you're one of those guys," said Karik.

"We're just good friends," replied Damon, "but that doesn't stop me from commenting on how wonderful she is."

Abbey returned with their beer to the steadfast gaze of Karik and Damon. "Here you go, gentlemen. Cheers!" said Abbey, choosing to ignore the looks she received from them.

Damon chugged his beer while Karik continued to gaze straight into Abbey's eyes. Karik quickly turned around, as if something more important than his fixation on Abbey had suddenly arrived. With intense speed, he scanned the bar looking for the root of his concern. He looked at the front door. The man in the black suit was standing there like a bodyguard. He had the air of a government employee. Military or intelligence, he surmised.

And then his focus changed again. Karik affixed his glare on three men sitting at a table by the front door. They were friends from work, he surmised. Middle-aged, overweight and thrilled to finally be out of the office, away from their abusive, overbearing boss. Their ties were all slightly undone and the top buttons of their dress shirts were opened. Three pals hanging out. Karik stared at them with relentless intensity. Something was off about them, no not them, just one, the man in the middle. He was the one that gave Karik cause for concern as he noticed him leering suggestively at Abbey. Without saying a word to Damon, Karik stood up, politely brushed Abbey aside, and walked over to their table.

"Do you gentlemen have anything better to do? Especially you," Karik told the large bald man who sat between his two friends. "Your wife is waiting for you at home with your infant son, and you are here? How could you be so selfish?"

"Who the fuck are you?" he responded, very angry.

"Is this the example you want to set for your little boy?" continued Karik. "A married father shouldn't be sitting here drooling over another woman. He should be at home, at the dinner table, with his family where his wife is waiting for him with a home-cooked meal."

"Who told this guy about my family? Was it you, Abbey?"

"Larry, you know me much better than that," she replied, sternly. "I never told him anything. You know, waitress to client privilege."

"Go back and sit down," Abbey said to Karik, hoping to avoid a scene. "Larry's one of my regulars. You must be crazy to want to pick a fight with him."

Larry's two buddies smirked as Abbey put their friend back in his place.

"There's not going to be a fight because if Larry knows what's good for him he will get up now and go home."

"Are you insane?" Abbey asked.

Larry was now infuriated as he stood up, revealing a hulk of a body. Karik was six feet tall, but Larry must have been a good seven inches taller and much wider. "He is insane, Abbey," Larry replied while rolling up his sleeves with the familiarity of having done it many times before.

"I think you need to learn to control your mouth," said Larry. "Small guys with big mouths make for a very dangerous mixture. Isn't that right Abbey?"

"Larry, I beg you, please don't hurt him. I'm sure he didn't mean anything."

Larry paused for a moment then forcefully threw a punch at Karik's face, his fist aiming directly for his nose, intent on ending this fight with one swift blow. Karik stood perfectly still, but at the last possible moment moved his head coolly to the side and avoided the punch. Larry wound up and tried again. This time Karik, with lightning quickness, swatted his punch away with his left arm. Larry winced with pain from the force.

"Your karate garbage doesn't scare me," Larry said. He regrouped and then tried to strike Karik in his midsection by lunging at him with full force. This time, Karik leaned his body backwards without moving his feet, causing Larry's punch to fall short of its mark.

"Please, just go home to your wife and leave Abbey alone," Karik calmly said.

Damon watched Karik with amazement. This man is fearless, he thought to himself.

Karik returned to an upright position as Larry grabbed a beer bottle and broke it on the edge of the table. He held the neck of the broken bottle and pointed it inches away from Karik's face.

"When I'm through with your face even the blind hookers will stay away from you," Larry said to Karik as he faked a jab with the bottle. "Are ya scared? Ya better be."

"Larry, what are you doing?" yelled Abbey.

"Nobody likes a smart mouth, and this man needs to be taught a lesson."

Larry whipped the jagged end of the bottle at Karik's face but the bottle slipped out of his hand. Karik moved his head to the side, avoiding the bottle. He reached behind himself to catch it only inches in front of some young woman's face who had stood by to watch the fight. She looked back at Karik, frozen like stone, as she realized what had almost happened to her.

Nobody has reflexes that quick, thought Damon, very impressed. He was now starting to picture in his mind how Karik might have saved him from the three gang members, something right out of a Bruce Lee movie, no... Brandon Lee!

"No more!" shouted Abbey. "You guys are going to stop this now!"

"I had a bad feeling that Larry was having inappropriate thoughts about you," Karik said while facing Larry, "thoughts that involved serious violence. He was going to hurt you tonight. Isn't that true Larry?"
Abbey took a step back. She shook her head in disbelief at the two of them.

"So let me understand what you are saying," she said to Karik. "You felt that Larry was thinking inappropriate thoughts?"

"What are you, some kind of fucking freak?" Larry rhetorically asked Karik.

"Let's just say I'm an excellent judge of character."

One of Larry's friends at the table with him was now standing behind Karik. He picked a chair up over his head, intent on smashing it down on Karik. Damon tried to yell, "Karik!" to warn him as the chair was being lifted, but no words were able to come out of his mouth. As if by instinct, Karik stepped aside from the chair, which instead hit Larry squarely on his head.