Yet, there was a time in my life in which I was a jackass, and a borderline bully. I learned a very hard lesson, very quickly and it made an impact on me immediately.
This is a True Story I call, LESSON BY PUNCH.
This took place in England, when my dad was still in the US Air Force and I was going to school on the base. We lived off base in the closet town on ‘Base Housing.’ This happened on a cold, winter morning while a bunch of us military brats were waiting for the school buses.
My best friend at the time lived across the street, with his parents and two older brothers.
I was eleven at the time and his one brother was 16 or 17. A big boy too, even at his age he was pushed near three hundred pounds. A lot of people teased him about it, even me.
This one morning I took it way too far – “Fatty,” “Fat Boy” and I’m sure other degrading comments about his size. I don’t remember everything I said, but I know I crossed a line and I learned it the hard way when he Punched Me in the face.
He Punched Me as the bus rolled up to a stop. He was pissed, walked onto the bus and sat by himself. I got on and sat well away from him. My nose was bleeding fairly badly, and at first I thought he broke it. Of course the bus driver didn’t give a damn.
Under any other circumstances I would have be pissed, and yeah probably have started a fight. I wasn’t though, I was more embarrassed at this point and was trying to hide the bloody nose from fellow students on the bus.
Once we were at the base, he went to the High School and I went to the Middle School across the street. I went straight to the nurse to get checked out. I was bleeding, but nothing broken. She asked what happened – and I’m sure she knew someone hit me – but I wouldn’t tell her.
Over the course of the day my nose stopped bleeding, felt better and I thought a lot. I never expected him to hit me, he never had before. I thought a lot about why he did, and finally came to realize who was at fault.
We took separate busses home, and he was just getting off his bus when mine pulled up. I rushed off my bus and went after him, he didn’t want to know me, but I got him to talk to me for a moment, away from the gaze of both our parents.
I apologized to him. I said the words, “I’m sorry.” And told him why, from the heart. He apologized for hitting me, and let me know how much I had hurt him.
I made amends right there. For the next few years both are fathers were stationed there, we were friends. I never teased him again.
I rarely made fun of someone because of their weight or looks after that. Or really bullied anyone. I learned my lesson on that day.
Guess what? I deserved that punch in the face.
- Ace Masters
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