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| Muffy Bennett, Record Setting 1957 Ford F-Code Retractible |
It startled me.
I was bullied
relentlessly for years. Of the many active participants, several were quite
noteworthy....one stands out in particular, whom I will call
"Dennis."
Dennis was a mean kid and a
physical bully. He sat behind me in a couple of classes; on one occasion he
rammed a desk into my back so hard that it bruised my shoulder blades - both of
which protruded like wings because I was so skinny.
(Sidebar: I am eternally
grateful to my teacher, who actually HELD DENNIS STILL so my tiny tear-filled
self could punch him after witnessing the incident. Nowadays this incident
would be caught on video and the teacher surely out of a job.)
On another occasion, Dennis
put a puddle of acid on my chair in chemistry, which obviously burned a hole in
my pants....and burned me. He was also
one of two people who put a lit cigarette out on the bridge of my glasses while
his friends held me down....(only I think Dennis purposely missed the bridge of
my glasses, burning my nose).
The kid was a bona fide jerk.
I could handle the physical,
but it was the verbal remarks from him - and many others - which scarred me the
most. I was called the typical insults:
ugly, four-eyes, brace-face....I was asked if I was male or female....I was
picked on for wearing the same clothes all the time due to my family's
poverty....the list was long and encompassing (Nothing was sacred. These are
just the incidents and insults that are "G-rated").
Insomnia hit me one night,
and I decided to Google people who tormented me as a child; Dennis was one of
the beneficiaries.
I discovered he has been in
and out of prison since highschool. Upon
digging deeper, I discovered I wasn't his only victim over the years.
Oddly enough, the pain of
verbal remarks from the perpetual teasing haunted me all these years, despite
having forgiven him (and his predecessors and successors). Passing of time
hadn't exactly helped let go of the hurt as I had hoped. . .
. . . until I looked him up
online. My pain has turned to sympathy;
it appears poor Dennis grew up to lead a disturbing life. I now realize how fortunate I am.
Lord, I thank you for the
extra helping of character; I finally
learned how to wield it. I found
sympathy for someone who is far more damaged than I am. . . God only knows what
happened to this poor soul as a child to turn him so mean.
As the adage goes: better
late than never. I am free of yet
another encumbrance.
Muffy Bennett, CEO - Bennett
Automotive Specialists, Inc.
www.muffybennett.com
