When you look different physically as a kid, you better get tough quickly. Having polio when I was two years old left me with one arm much smaller than the other. And my right arm is really not useable (but makes a good paperweight). Also my right leg was affected and I walk with a noticeable limp.
I went to the same school from 1st thru 12th grade. So most of the kids accepted me for what it was. My problems came with new kids in the school. Most new kids found me an easy target to poke fun at. This didn't usually last long, because the tough kids and my brothers always looked out for me. In eighth grade the two local schools merged to make one larger school system.
This created a whole new scenario. Tons of 7th and 8th graders that made fun of me daily. Over time they got to know me and things got better. In the summer between my sophmore and junior year a new family moved in 3 houses down the road from us. Well the one boy was about a year younger than I was but he was quite a bit bigger than me.
As usual he met me and had to make stupid remarks. I bluntly told him to shut up. He was just one of those kids that just wouldn't let it go. He mainly picked on me while riding the bus to and from school. About a week or so before Christmas it all came to a head on the school bus. I called him out and told him to be at the pond on a neighboring property at 4 o'clock. He shoved me and said he would be there.
I arrived along with my four brothers. When we got there a bunch of neighborhood kids were there to watch. Everyone knew fist were going to fly. I assumed I was going to get pummeled, but wanted to make a stand anyways. We walked out on the frozen pond to confront one another. We squared off and he threw the first punch which I dodged. His momentum caused him to slip on the ice and fall on his back. I jumped on top of him and put both of my feet on his forearms. I quickly grabbed his semi-afro hair and started bouncing his head of the ice. I think the first thump knocked him about out, but I wasn't stopping. This poor kid was taking 15 years of built up frustration. Blood was flying everytime his head hit the ice. I remember the kids cheering and then it felt like I was hit by a train on my left side. My older brother had jumped on me to get me off this kid. I remember him saying "Dick, you're going to kill him"
The kid ended up with twenty some stiches in the back of his head. Needless to say he never poked fun at me again. In fact we became pretty good buddys and I kinda felt sad when they moved away a few years later.
Now if this was to happen today there would be law suits, court battles etc. Back in 1967 it was just the way it was. You had differences you settled them.
Today we live in a society where most are brought up to turn the other cheek and don't make waves. What a crock. A bully will be a bully until someone stands up to him or her.
