I’ve had better beginnings. I might as well ignore his rather boorish behavior and try my luck with the big boy to my right. Once again I extend my hand, but before I can say anything…
“We know who you are, mister boss-man.”
The man called ‘Bear’ is rather menacing and he clearly has no intention of shaking hands or engaging in any other civilities. I leave my hand hanging in the air for a moment, then drop it and try another tack.
“Well as long as we are all here, we might as well…”
“We might as well get somethin’ straight right now, mister boss-man,” Bear interrupts. “We might as well get you to understan’ tha’ anythin’ you have to say to us,” he nods towards Marshall, “don’ mean shit. I know what A.J. said about you bein’ in charge of us. Tha’s all booshit, man. We been aroun’ too long to take orders from anybody but the man hisself… and maybe not even then. Now do you understan’… mister boss-man?”
Speech finished, Bear steps forward and stabs his sausage-like index and middle fingers into my chest, shoving me a step backwards in the process.
“I expect an answer when I talk to you, mister boss-man,” he says, menace in his voice, as he steps forward and pokes me in the chest again, this time much harder than the first.
Again I take an involuntary step backward. Fighting for control, I keep my voice calm and steady as I reply, “Please don’t touch me. Not now, not ever again. If you want to talk to me, feel free, but keep your hands to yourself.”
Bear studies me with a look that is both astonished and amused. He looks over at Marshall who has edged a few feet to the side in an apparent attempt to distance himself from this whole affair.
“I don’ think our little boss-man here heard me. Either that, or he’s crazy.”
He turns and looks at me with his hands on his hips. Then he makes sort of a snorting sound as he chuckles and shakes his head.
Marshall looks a little uncomfortable. Shifting his weight to the other foot he says, “Why not lay off, Bear? We’re just going to piss off A.J. Leave him be… he ain’t worth the trouble.”
Now there’s an endorsement for you… ‘ain’t worth the trouble’. The only thing that makes it worse is that it’s coming from a standup guy who shakes my hand with less authority than some guy finishing off a long leak. My grandfather said it well, save me from the people who are trying to save me.
Bear snaps his head towards Marshall. He makes a face and snarls, “Fuck you, man! If I wanchur two cents, I’ll slap it outa ya’. If you don’ like wa’s goin’ down, get the hell outahere!” His attention returns to me. “Meantime, I’m gonna slap some manners into the boss-man here.”
With this he again steps towards me and shoves with his two-finger prod. This time I’m ready for it and I step back to reduce the impact. Bear’s prod is like getting shoved with a pole.
“Last time, Bear,” I say, “keep your hands to yourself.”
Bear’s eyes grow wide and his nostrils flare as he smiles in disbelief. He’s obviously enjoying himself. Most bullies do when they think they have easy pickings.
“Kiss my ass, boss-man,” he says with a sneer, “I’ve already had enough of yo’ shit! I’ll touch you all I want, anytime I want. Hear what I’m sayin’?” And out comes the two-finger prod once more.
By now I’ve had enough of his shit. I step to my left and block Bear’s prod with my left hand, simultaneously grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards me. Surprised and caught off balance, he stumbles forward. Bear’s right side is exposed as I release his arm and strike with my right fist just below the rib cage. Bear bellows with rage and fights to regain his balance. He’s wide open as I send a sidekick to his right knee. I don’t want to break his leg, although it would be easy enough to do from this angle, but he’s badly hurt by the blow. Instinctively bending over to grab his
“We know who you are, mister boss-man.”
The man called ‘Bear’ is rather menacing and he clearly has no intention of shaking hands or engaging in any other civilities. I leave my hand hanging in the air for a moment, then drop it and try another tack.
“Well as long as we are all here, we might as well…”
“We might as well get somethin’ straight right now, mister boss-man,” Bear interrupts. “We might as well get you to understan’ tha’ anythin’ you have to say to us,” he nods towards Marshall, “don’ mean shit. I know what A.J. said about you bein’ in charge of us. Tha’s all booshit, man. We been aroun’ too long to take orders from anybody but the man hisself… and maybe not even then. Now do you understan’… mister boss-man?”
Speech finished, Bear steps forward and stabs his sausage-like index and middle fingers into my chest, shoving me a step backwards in the process.
“I expect an answer when I talk to you, mister boss-man,” he says, menace in his voice, as he steps forward and pokes me in the chest again, this time much harder than the first.
Again I take an involuntary step backward. Fighting for control, I keep my voice calm and steady as I reply, “Please don’t touch me. Not now, not ever again. If you want to talk to me, feel free, but keep your hands to yourself.”
Bear studies me with a look that is both astonished and amused. He looks over at Marshall who has edged a few feet to the side in an apparent attempt to distance himself from this whole affair.
“I don’ think our little boss-man here heard me. Either that, or he’s crazy.”
He turns and looks at me with his hands on his hips. Then he makes sort of a snorting sound as he chuckles and shakes his head.
Marshall looks a little uncomfortable. Shifting his weight to the other foot he says, “Why not lay off, Bear? We’re just going to piss off A.J. Leave him be… he ain’t worth the trouble.”
Now there’s an endorsement for you… ‘ain’t worth the trouble’. The only thing that makes it worse is that it’s coming from a standup guy who shakes my hand with less authority than some guy finishing off a long leak. My grandfather said it well, save me from the people who are trying to save me.
Bear snaps his head towards Marshall. He makes a face and snarls, “Fuck you, man! If I wanchur two cents, I’ll slap it outa ya’. If you don’ like wa’s goin’ down, get the hell outahere!” His attention returns to me. “Meantime, I’m gonna slap some manners into the boss-man here.”
With this he again steps towards me and shoves with his two-finger prod. This time I’m ready for it and I step back to reduce the impact. Bear’s prod is like getting shoved with a pole.
“Last time, Bear,” I say, “keep your hands to yourself.”
Bear’s eyes grow wide and his nostrils flare as he smiles in disbelief. He’s obviously enjoying himself. Most bullies do when they think they have easy pickings.
“Kiss my ass, boss-man,” he says with a sneer, “I’ve already had enough of yo’ shit! I’ll touch you all I want, anytime I want. Hear what I’m sayin’?” And out comes the two-finger prod once more.
By now I’ve had enough of his shit. I step to my left and block Bear’s prod with my left hand, simultaneously grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards me. Surprised and caught off balance, he stumbles forward. Bear’s right side is exposed as I release his arm and strike with my right fist just below the rib cage. Bear bellows with rage and fights to regain his balance. He’s wide open as I send a sidekick to his right knee. I don’t want to break his leg, although it would be easy enough to do from this angle, but he’s badly hurt by the blow. Instinctively bending over to grab his
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