Difficult Decision on Nostr: In his early years, my grandfather ran the numbers racket in his small town (which ...

In his early years, my grandfather ran the numbers racket in his small town (which shall remain nameless).

At seventy-something he moved. His kids (my mom and uncle) went to help him.

MY job, at eighteen, was to help him pack things (meaning, keep him away from my mom and uncle so they could handle logistics and minutia without his interference).

So, I constantly asked him questions about everything so he would tell me stories and it would all go slower and take longer.

Going through the garage, we found a small contraption I did not understand. It’s hard to describe without an image, but it was steel, small enough to sleight-of-hand conceal, had a handle to grip tightly, and a hook that would ratchet shut and lock.

He took it from me, showed me how to grip, conceal and deploy it, and explained, “You hold it in your left hand, walk up, and clip the hook on his right wrist. Now you have his dominant hand in a metal hook. You twist it so it hurts, and you keep his strong arm out of the fight with your left, so you can beat him with your right.”

He held it and gently stroked it silently for a moment, a nostalgic smile on his face, obviously remembering… well, let’s just call it Younger Days.

Suddenly, he looked sideways at me, stopped smiling abruptly, cleared his throat, and said, “We, uh… were NOT supposed to have these.”

Then he put it in his pocket and went back to packing, embarrassed.

😂