The Day I Almost Blew Someone's Face Off

When I was growing up, we did our share of moving. It was rare for my siblings and I to remain in the same school long enough to really make friends and feel at home. At the tender "tween" years that I was, it made me an easy target for the other kids in my schools, because I was always the new kid, and had painfully low self esteem. When we finally settled in one house for a few years, I landed at the elementary school in which I would eventually complete grade 5, 6, and 7. Grade 5 was hell. The tears that I cried daily about the cruelty that some kids would inflict on me, seemed endless. Thank God I had my Mom, who was the most tender hearted person, full of sympathy, advice, and always had a shoulder ready for crying on.
Grades 6 and 7 became easier and easier. After one girl, Angela, who happened to be one of the popular girls, warmed up to me the rest of the kids began to see me differently (some faster than others). I always admired this girl for going against popular opinion, including her twin sister who hated me, and getting to know me for who I am. We are still friends to this day. For the record, her twin sister, who hated me, also warmed up to me in time, and has since apologized for her actions. She is also the woman whose wedding I sang at a few months ago.

Anyway, I guess the torture that I had gone through during my young life affected me more than I would have liked. I got to the point where I didn't want to take any crap from anyone. I know I've described to you before how I had a tendency to be impulsive, and this day in particular wasn't one of my finer moments.

There was this boy named Melvin, who loved to torment me about anything he could think of. When he found out my middle name was "Lee" he began the daily ritual of dancing around me singing "LEELEELEELEELEELEELEELEE....." So stupid, but for me it wasn't what he was saying as much as the fact that he was trying to stir up feelings of inadequacy in me and that just made me furious. Anyway, this is just one example of the lengths this kid would go to make me stand out and look stupid.

So one day, my friend, Rose and I were on the playground, and who comes wondering over to spread cheer? Melvin. He began taunting and I just snapped! Rose and I both grabbed him, forced him onto the tire swing, and tied him there by the sleeves of his kangaroo jacket. We then put his hood on his head and proceeded to pull the drawstrings until the hood closed around his face leaving a small hole in the front. We didn't stop there. I don't know where Rose got a fire cracker, but she placed one right in the hole, and despite Melvin's pleas, one of us lit the fire cracker and we ran away laughing! I know what you are all thinking...I'm a bloody monster! Thank God the fire cracker fell out of the hole and onto the ground and nobody was hurt/blinded!

It just goes to show you how a normally harmless human being can be pushed to do things that they would normally never dream of doing! I'm not saying his behavior excuses mine, by any stretch. But the fact is, had that fire cracker stayed snug in its little hole, Melvin's face would have been hamburger and Rose and I would have been responsible. The thing is,that kind of human destruction is so far out of my character, I would have a hard time believing that I let it go that far! Well we all got lucky that day, especially Melvin. I'll bet you think he learned something that day and never tormented me again...Nope, he continued on as usual.

The funny thing is, it turns out my friend Rose's husband is very good friends with Melvin today, so she sees him all the time. But no one has ever spoken about the tire swing incident. Maybe it wasn't one of his finest moments, either.