2007-07-13

legacy of violence @ 8:43 a.m.

I've had a page over on fac3book for the last few years, since it was .edu only. Now since it's gone public, a few o' my friends have looked me up. This morning, I found a message from someone I didn't quite know. He said we went to high school together and that I might not remember him. I stared and stared and stared at his face and something began to click. I admitted that I didn't quite remember him, having an excellent memory for faces but not for names. Lo, he was semi-bummed, but made a mention about perhaps being in chorus together in middle school.

That was when it dawned on me. I sent him the following message:

Okay. I'm going to tell you a story that mortifies me still even today. If you are who I think you are...

I remember a tall, gangly boy with sweet brown eyes and a riot of curly blonde hair. I remember that for some reason we were friends, possibly because we met in Mrs. N.'s chorus class and we were both misfits of a sort. I remember that we teased each other mercilessly, poking and prodding and basically engaging in general tomfoolery. I didn't know my own growing strength, and one day in the hallway, this unsuspecting boy poked me in the back. I reached back with a high-heeled shoe that I had no business wearing other than to church (and had sneaked them out of the house in a gym bag) and gave the boy a kick in the shin. I moseyed on to class, only to be paged and ordered to report to the main office. Turns out I had opened up the boy's shin with my pointy heel. I was stunned. I had no idea. Blood was running down his leg and he looked petrified, torn between the fear of the injury and fear of...me.

That's the face I saw when I studied your picture. But if I'm wrong, then just enjoy the little drama-laden story and move on. If I'm right, then please accept my apology for wrongs of the past. :)

He replied:

THATS YOU KIDDO! Yes, I later became a skate boarder, so my shin never healed! HA! No problem. Yes, we met in Ms. N.'s class. This is so cool! No wrong words at all. I have very fond memories and I hope that you are ok. I ended up serving in the Military during the Gulf war. I put my back out during a rescue of a buddy of mine, but for years, I just suffered minor pains. NOW, I am older and my back is now the responsibility of the VA. Oh well, I'm getting better (nothing like that shin) JUST KIDDING!

*head in hands*

Violence. This is my legacy.