It started in the fourth grade. When I walked to school in the morning and some times when I walked home the two girls that were around my age and lived in my neighborhood would call me filthy names on the way to school and after school if I didn't see them walk up behind me.
They would walk 50 feet behind me as they took great joy in telling how worthless I was in the most vulgar terms they could think up. Carla and Yvon did this year after year until I started driving to school my Senior Year. I never said anything back to them, I just took the abuse.
One day my Senior Year I was driving home from school and while stopped at a stop sign waiting for the four school buses to pass by I heard two loud bangs from the back of my car. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw Carla and Yvon kicking the back of my car.
'Just let it go Robert'.
I thought to myself. Then they kicked my car again. Kingsville was getting ready to repave the streets in town and my rear tires of my car were sitting in piles of gravel that would be smoothed out just before they sprayed the roads with new pavement. I shouldn't have peeled out in the gravel throwing rocks on the girls but I did. They screamed in pain and I shouldn't have laughed at their pain but I did. They shouldn't have tortured me with words for eight years but they did.
They weren't hurt bad, just a few red marks on their faces. They never had another unkind word to say to me and they never kicked my car again.
Next Post; Forklift Bully
14 comments:
Thank you for the comment you made about my granddaughter's blog (Los quince años de Ivy - http://susanafurphy.blogspot.com It's nice to read clean and nice comments. I visited your blog and it is impressive! You have great material. Congratulations!
Susana
Thanks for your comment.
This blog came into being as a love letter to my granddaughter and grandson. I'm writing about bullying to try to stop just one kid from being a bully.
It's wonderful how these kids offer us a possibility of expression. I don't know if understand Spanish. I wrote a poem to Ivy, my granddaughter and it is at the beginning (end) of the blog.
Nice to hear about you,
Ana
Bravo to you! Every step we take towards ending bullying is a giant leap for the future!
Hello Robert - Ive read through all three of the bullying blogs you posted from your younger day experiences - you make them so alive and so sad. Such a pity when it all starts when we are children. To hold back from retaliating is the strongest thing we can do - and to do so as a child is inspirational. Ive been so fortunate, as it has never ever happened to me in all aspects of my life from schooldays, work, home and social life. Theres quite a strong campaign going on in England at present with TV advertisements encouraging children to tell someone about being bullied and get help. I congratulate you bringing this horrible social behaviour out into the open.
I've been looking forward to reading these bully posts as they come out. They're written so well and I love the illustrations. They remind me of the autobiographical graphic novels that I love (and I know I said almost the same thing on the comment on my blog but I wanted to repeat it here).
To Ana, Leanne and Joan
Thank you all for reading the first three Bully Tales. The next three stories are about bullies I've dealt with in my adult life.
In all three of my childhood stories I didn't do the right thing in the way I got the bullying to stop.
As a kid the bullies teach you not to be a snitch.
As an adult I became a whistle blower fighting bullies on a scale I couldn't imagine as a child.
To Toxiferous
Didn't mean to leave you out. I had published my comment and then I saw your comment. For whatever reason your comment came before mine.
My next post Forklift Bully will be in graphic novel form with hand written text.
I know it's wrong, but I liked the end to this. Sometimes emotion overules logic ... being human.
I will be looking forward to the upcoming posts talked about here. Bullies are a giant problem - more so than most will admit to.
I'm just glad I didn't put a eye out or chipped their teeth.
Robert, I absolutely ADORE your blog(s). Even though we have never met, I already know who you are. You are an ambassador for decency and hope. Although we appear to be roughly the same age, I still say: When I grow up, I want to be like you. And I'll be bringing my son along for the ride. I humbly salute you.
Nards
Thanks Nards
I looked at your blog and the blogs of your friends last night.
I've really enjoyed your blog, I've been singing "It's not easy being green" all day.
I put off doing the Bully Tales for a long time because I feared people would see them as revenge tales.
From your comments and those of others I feel my writing came across the way I wanted it to read.
Dont even think twice about it. You did a great job, finally took a step against bullying.
To Nidhi S
These Bully stories are really helping me get over things that have bothered me for years. I've decided to turn all my Bully Stories into comic book form and the Girl Bullies story has a follow up story that happened to my oldest son.
Thanks for your comment.
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