Didn't take me long to learn the rules of life.
Taking and hurting as long as you can kick ass and it's yours.
I was fairly literate as a young kid.
It came from being accident prone I guess.
In fourth grade, I had a nearly fatal accident.
I had run through a storm door, and a six-inch shard of glass ripped into my stomach.
Took me a year to recover.
I often wonder if it made me tough or just foolish.
I will say this I was then and am now a man of honor.
I started reading, nothing else to do in intensive care.
My choice was Greek mythology (learning cruelty) and King Arthur (oh Guinevere am I destined to lose you again and again?)
It was the first day of seventh grade and I was scared shitless, it seemed like I was entering into Leavenworth prison.
I only lived about for blocks from school, but I tell you it was a long walk.
Everytime.
As I entered, I heard a voice whisper "do you want to rule the school? "
I said not really I just want to learn and make friends.
The voice responded, "that was a perfect answer."
He (I still debate exactly who that voice was) said: "look there are kids who need your help."
There were throngs of people grinding through the doors.
I wondered in fascination what their stories were.
He "said did you see that? "
I said" yes. "
He said "that boy had just grabbed that girls breast how does that make you feel? "
I said," that makes me angry."
He said, "the kids in your grade are very special.
They are from all over the world, and they are gathered to learn how to save the planet.
They are the greatest minds of your generation.
They will all get straight a's and are chosen to lead the world.
But it was decided by the adults to make them suffer; you can't do anything to change their petty jealousy.
But you can send them a message."
I thought that didn't make any sense and seemed unfair.
He said,
"I call them the A-listers.
I have chosen you to be their protector.
Because of the accidents you have gone through you are tough, nothing can hurt you worse than that six inches of glass, can it? "
I thought about that shard sticking out of my ribs, and I said "no I guess not sir. "
I like to think I was a fairly obedient respectful child.
He said, "what I want you to do is follow that punk to the bathroom and hit him as hard as you can in the nose then hit the wall with everything you got."
I was terrified, and I thought I was crazy but damn it that girl looked scared, and nobody was doing any thing about it.
I screwed up my resolve and said, "yes sir," and started walking down the corridor. I kept looking at the concrete cinder blocks covered in sickly puke green paint.
That was how I felt under the 8-inch flaming red scar that ran from my solar plexus to my navel.
He went into the bathroom, and I followed him in.
I don't remember actually hitting the kid or the wall, but I know I gave a speech for TV cameras.
It was really a big deal, and it wasn't the first time I had challenged the powers that be.
Or the last.
The mystery voice said, "good you broke his nose and sent a message to them."
Now go back an walk up to the biggest kid you see and tell him that you may be small now, but you were going to get bigger and if anybody fucks with your friends you were coming straight at him.
The voice then said, "go to the girl and say if she or any of her friends have any problems to come to you."
I didn't know any of those kids but I was all they had, and I knew it.
I call them the blunderbuss with all affection.
The voice said, "now go home you will be out for two weeks.
You just broke your hand."
Those kids never knew how many times I went walking for them.
How many times I caught the blade for them.
But I'll be damned if they didn't make straight a's.
They called me the 'freaker king.'
I was the most polite respectful kid you ever met but cross any of those kids, and my eyes grew cold.
Sometimes people have to lose their childhood, so others don't.
It had already been fairly shitty anyway so no big loss.
If you are wondering nobody ever said a word.
~mliarrrr
