We’ve all come across them, people who will never win medals for tact or diplomacy, who are so determined to be disagreeable it’s as though they’re intentionally inviting physical violence. I was never a bovver boy, I avoided confrontations, there was only one individual who made me lash out, and that was with the flat of my hand, not with my fist.
I was about fifteen and the boys in my area used to meet at the local football pitch which had goal posts. We’d have a game then hang around and talk before going home. Some boys would show up but didn’t take part, they’d just stand on the sideline and watch. One of these was a real miserable twat, he never laughed, never smiled, I didn’t know his name or where he lived but it was obvious he had an enormous chip on his shoulder. The only time he opened his mouth was to call somebody, it wasn’t banter, he was deadly serious. He wasn’t big or tough and he looked no different to anyone else, but he had an attitude problem second to none.
One day we’d had a game, we were all stood talking afterwards and he decided to start on me. He had the usual scornful expression on his face, I don’t remember what he was saying but it wasn’t flattering. I’d already decided what I’d do if this happened. I took two steps toward him and slapped him as hard as I could on his chest. He tottered backwards and fell over on his arse. His face was a picture, he looked totally amazed. No-one said anything, they probably thought ‘asked for and got’.
He didn’t show up for two or three weeks after, then one day there he was again. We were all stood talking as usual , he was looking at me with that expression and I could see he was just itching to say something. I looked back at him and he decided to keep quiet. If he’d opened his mouth to me again I’d have thumped him in the guts, but he thought better of it.
That was the last time I ever saw him, but I’ve wondered a few times what happened to him. I’d be quite surprised if he were still alive. No-one goes through life unscathed with an attitude like his. I’ve wondered what happened when he started going into places where men drank beer. He wouldn’t have been able to restrain himself, the urge to verbally offend someone was ingrained in him, it was too powerful for him to resist. It would only have been a matter of time before he ended up on the tap room floor.
https://explorable.com/e/recognizing-low-self-esteem
Nominated by : Allan
