Thing-a-day.com

I was in 4th grade and it was after school.  Jami Losurdo, Elizabeth Vona, at least 2 of the Nicholson’s (there were 11 so there was always at least 2 around - same thing for the Galvins and the Nelsons and they all lived within a three block radius of each other.  They were a definite army) and I had stayed after school to go sledding.  St. Paul’s had a decent hill and pretty much almost any day of the week about 10-20 kids would stay after.  Most of us lived close enough to drag a sled with you to school and if you didn’t bring a sled, you could go over to the Nicholson’s, Galvins or Nelson’s to borrow one.  Elizabeth Vona was a year younger then me but we were totally friends.  Elizabeth lived on 7th and Utica, I lived on 7th and Hamilton, so her mom asked me if I could walk Elizabeth, and later Jessica, home from school.  No problem, it was on my way and we were on the cheerleading team together that her older sister Brandy coached.  Elizabeth was the first person I knew with a big screen television and had one of the first copies of Michael Jackson’s Thriller video AT HER HOUSE!!!!  To me, she was rich and privileged, but generous and definitely one of the coolest girls I’d ever met.  She also had sisters which I knew nothing of and she hated them which was fascinating to me.  They called each other bitch a lot.  I was in awe of the Vona girls.  Elizabeth and I maintained a friendship even after she went to the public school for junior high and high school.  We played on the same indoor soccer team in the winter and the same travel team during spring and summer.  In the fall, before the season started, our high schools would scrimmage each other at the public high school on their fancy field under the lights.  My senior year I was playing center half, I was taking a shot and Elizabeth came in for a block.  I broke her femur.  She was out for her entire junior year.  We were still friends even though I broke her leg.  I’m pretty sure this story may have something to do with it.

 Ok, back to after school sledding.  Jami, Elizabeth, Anne and Kate Nicholson and I are sledding.  All our guy friends are across the street at St. Paul’s Church for altarboy classes.  Even though it’s a perfect day for sledding, sunny but not too bright, tightly packed snow, over the weekend someone had built a ramp, it’s pretty empty.  Then these two boys show up.  They don’t go to St. Paul’s, they go to one of the near by public schools.  Most likely Kingsford or maybe Reiley.  They are known bullies.  I’ve seen Kevin Costello get into fights with them before.  Or rather, I’ve seen Kevin Costello get picked on by them before.  We’re having so much fun we just ignore them and keep going down the hill.  Well the older one (and I kind of can’t believe I can’t remember his name so we’ll call him Derrick Thompson) Derrick, he decides he really likes Elizabeth’s sled.  I’m pretty sure it was a new one, she probably got it for Christmas.  He keeps grabbing her sled and taking it down the hill.  Elizabeth was always kind of tiny.  She’s just a little thing.  Even now, as a 33 year old woman I think she only stands 5′2″, so at age 6, you can imagine how itty bitty she was.  A total bully target.  

At first, I just told Elizabeth to ride with me on my red plastic toboggan.  It was cool at first, but Elizabeth wanted her sled back of course, and she told Derrick so.  For a small thing, she was full of piss and vinegar and had no problem getting in some-one’s face if need be.  She marched up to the dickhead and told him ”Give me back my sled you Queerbait!”  (Queerbait was total fighting words in Oswego in the 80’s).  Derrick laughed in her face and pushed her down.  I was standing about 3 feet away.  Not only was Elizabeth sort of my charge, but she was my friend and I knew it was not fair to pick on someone so small.  I also knew this made him a total jerk because he was a boy!  Older than her and bigger than her!  In all my anger and determined to defend Elizabeth’s honor I marched up to Derrick grabbed her sled out of his hands pushed him back and said “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size!” 

I picked Elizabeth up, put her on the sled, pushed her down the hill, jumped in my toboggan and rode victoriously down the hill and over the ramp.  Sailing through the air I felt righteous!  I landed with the usual thump and my hat fell over my eyes.  I remember this because suddenly I was being picked up by my left arm and I couldn’t see who was grabbing me.  I pushed my hat out of my eyes just in time to see Derrick pulling his right fist back and then WHAM!  POW!  Right in the kisser!  Smack dap in my already too big for my face lips!  Everything went black and I went down.  A couple seconds later I opened my eyes and saw lots of red.  Red blood all over the white snow.  I looked to the right and there was Elizabeth and Jami, both with their jaws dropped and both of them had tears running down their cheeks.  Where was the blood coming from and why did my mouth hurt like that?  I looked up at Derrick and he snickered at me and walked back up the hill. 

 Instantly I started crying.  I didn’t know what else to do.  Jami and Anne Nicholson took off down the street.  Alter boy classes were getting out.  Within 10 seconds, Adam Metcalf, John Whitehead, Jason Walbourn, Jason Cunningham, Adam Batemen, Scott Sugar and Kevin Costello were running down the street screaming and yelling about how they were going to kick that bully’s ass!!!!!  Derrick held his ground for about five of those ten seconds and then turned tail and ran down Mohawk Street.  The boys caught him before he got to O’Brian’s and gave him a proper pummelling.  Elizabeth came up to me, handed me my sled and at that moment Mrs. Losurdo showed up in her yellow chevy and we all piled in.  Jami explained what happened and I sat angrily in the back wishing I hadn’t cried but had known how to fight back.  We got to 7th and Hamilton and I got out of the car, listlessly dragging my sled behind me, the front of my snow suit (all hand made by my mother) covered in blood.  My brother Eric must have seen me from the kitchen, he came out to get me and as soon as I saw him I started sobbing and trying to tell him how I got punched in the face.  How he split my bottom lip….SEE????Well did you hit him back?  N-N-N-NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 

Ok, come with me, he got me inside, got me out of my snow suit, wiped up the blood, gave me a bag of frozen peas for my lip and took me down to the basement where we had a heavy bag set up with the weight bench.  He showed me how to make a fist and how to punch and said “Next time Lex, Next time….”

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