the neighborhood bully....

The name was familiar to her ears. Noooooo, could not be! The name took her back to her elementary school days. She lived with her parents and her brothers in a trailer park. There was an upper level and a lower level. The neighborhood bully lived down on the lower level.

She remembers him back to her to kindergarden years. He was always picking on the neighborhood kids. She must have felt that because they were in the same grade that maybe she should be able to stand up to him. And maybe this is the reason he found that she made a good target.

It was a sunny day in the neighborhood and the big yellow school bus was to drop off the trailer park kids. The bully had threaten her or maybe it was her brother. Made no difference she was the oldest and she would do what was necessary to protect her own flesh and blood. She had ushered her brother to the front of the bus and asked if the bus driver would detain the bully until she could make it home. The bus driver refused.

It is a good thing she lives on the upper level. A plan was forming in that mind of hers. As soon as her brother's feet hit the pavement, she yelled run. Then she ran screaming bloody murder for her mother as she swung her clarinet case all around in attempt to scare the bully. *what a sight that must have been*

Her mother came out to see what the commotion was about. Can you believe it? The bully was right on their heals. The mother told the bully to go pick on someone his own size. He said he was! The girl might have been the same age but she was quite a bit smaller than him.

Those days would have seemed like so long ago. Yet how quickly that name takes her back as it did the day she heard it again at her new place of work. Nah, he isn't one in the same. This guy looks different. So she went on about her business. Then this guys daughter came to work. After some chatter she soon realized the guy was the ol neighborhood bully.

Amazing to see the bully in a whole new light. Age give her wisdom and grace to see what life could chip away. The neighborhood bully had changed into a very fun loving and doting father. He was still married to and in love with his childhood sweet heart and had a very beautiful (inside and out) daughter who had a wisdom above her years about her.

Amazing to have that the ex-bully come to her and compliment her on the deeply thought out and hand-crafted graduation gift she gave his daughter. It was a moment for her to hold and cherish. She couldn't wait to touch her feet to the ground and run home to call her mom. This time was there was no screaming but soft gratitude and amazement .....