My Dinner Table Years Ago

After Momma placed the food on the table, we bowed our heads and my father said grace. Momma then started spooning out the creamed corn and mashed potatoes. Each plate received a pork chop and a piece of cornbread. My brother, as usual asked for a second piece of cornbread and Momma smiled and put another on his plate.

“Well, boys what did you learn at school today?”

That was a standard question every night. My father took an interest in what we were learning. Let me tell you something about my father. He was rough as a cob. (If you don’t know the meaning of that expression, look it up. It’s going to surprise a lot of you!) But he was fair. When we were smaller my mother’s worse threat was, “Go to your room! When your father gets home, I am going to tell him what you did!”

Sitting in our room waiting for him to get home was hell. Sometimes he spanked us, other times he would laugh at what we did and tell us not to do it again.

My father was a soldier who had fought the Nazis across north Africa and up the Italian peninsular until he was hit at the battle of Monte Cassino. He came home, married mom, and sired me and my brother. He worked construction until the day he died.

That fact should help you understand what is about to happen.

“I’m studying fractions.” My brother loved math.

“How about you?”

I hated math, so I avoided any talk about my problems with trigonometry. My brother would help me with Pythagorean’s Theory later.

“There was a quarrel in History class today. Sister Gabriela told the bigger girl, ‘Any fight you know you can win is a fight you should walk away from’.

“What do you think about that?”

My brother butted in with his mouth full of cornbread, “Sounds noble to me.”

“What about you?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Okay, let’s think this through. Ronnie (That’s me) let’s say you are closing your locker getting ready to leave school for the day. That skinny little blonde cheerleader you are dating runs up and tells you that Billy just grabbed her in the hall and squeezed those big titties of hers. (Suzy does have big tits. The biggest on the cheer squad!). You don’t know this Billy she is talking about, so she leads you out the side door of the school into the parking lot. She points to this freshman standing with his friends smoking a cigarette. You grin. This guy is about 5’ 4” tall and weighs 125 at most. He and his two friends see you and just stand there waiting to see what you are going to do. You decide to do nothing. You tell Suzy to forget it and walk over to your car and drive home.

Later that night Suzy calls and breaks up with you saying how she cannot depend on you to protect her. One of your friends calls and tells you that Billy told everyone who would listen that you knew not to mess with him. He had taken 3 months of ‘Karate’ and you better leave him alone or he would kick your ass. He had even demonstrated some of his moves to everyone.

The next day in school people bump into you in the hall and you hear others snickering as you walk by them. That night you call around trying to find a date for the weekend and find out that everyone is ‘busy’.

Now let’s talk about another scenario of the same problem.

You and Suzy walk out into the parking lot. She points out ‘Billy’. You walk up to him and look down. You are 6’ 3” tall 215 pounds and was the All-County defensive end last year. You grab that punk by his pencil neck and start pounding on his face. His nose breaks, his eyes will be black tomorrow and his two front teeth are laying on the pavement when you drop him to the ground. His two best buds look like they want to fight.

“Stand down idiots or you both will need dental appoints after I stomp your teeth out.”

They back down and help Billy up.

As they walk away you shout, “Anybody who messes with my girlfriend can expect the same treatment.”

“I’ll get three days suspension for fighting on school grounds.”

“Yeah, probably. But I guarantee you that little Suzy’s panties need changing and she can’t wait for your date Friday night!”

“John! Don’t tell the boys that. At least not at the supper table!” momma was grinning.

“I’ll tell you one more result. You’ll spend your 3 day suspension working with me on the construction crew, Billy will spend his three days learning to breathe thru his mouth as he sucks down his Jell-O. All Suzy’s girl friends will be calling telling you if Suzy don’t treat you right, remember their number.”

I never walked away from a fight in my life. No matter the size of the guy. Don’t get me wrong. My nose is crooked from being broken three times, I have two teeth that are implants, four ribs that were cracked from being kicked and three fingers on my right hand that are bent from not being set right. But everyone knew, you fuck with me, my family or friends you were in for a fight!