Another Beating: 1994

I can remember this day like it happened yesterday.  The neighborhood boys often retreated to the dirt trails during warm summer days to talk about life and to throw dirt clods at each other.  There used to be huge dirt mounds about a hundred yards north of my parents house.  On one side of the mound was a gradual increase in elevation, on the other, a severe drop off.  It seemed like 30 feet, but looking back now, it was tops 5 feet.  One day I hit a friend in the face with a hug, solid dirt clod, sending him off of the cliff.  Luckily he survived.   That story has nothing to do with my beating, just a fun little side note.

One day while leaving the dirt trails an acquaintance of mine, we’ll call him RW, (one year younger, but in the same grade) started to swear.  Being innocent and bold I told him to stop, likely saying something like, “Big words for a little man”, or “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”  He told me to shut up and we left it at that. 

Later we all headed up the street to participate in some night games.  Wiffle ball was on the menu that night.  We played for a while and this same kid started to swear.  There were younger kids around and me being 10 and really cool told him not to swear in front of the kids.  Again we exchanged words about the improper language.  At this point the 15 kids gathered round in anticipation. 

I was a good example to everyone that night by telling him not to swear, that example quickly deteriorated when I started the fight.  Pretty sure I threw the first punch, but RW most definitely finished it.  I threw a flailing noodle arm punch and he countered with a full on, square punch right in the mouth.  He then grabbed my head and started to knee me in the stomach.  He was a year younger than me!  He was a big 9 though and I could have been mistaken for a first grader.  When I finally got free from his menacing blows and gut wrenching knees, I walked away pretending not to be fazed by my freshly bloodied, quivering lip.  My best friend retreated with me and yelled back at my foe, “Hey, Derrik just beat you up!”  When we were out of hearing distance he turned to me and said, “Dude, you just got your butt kicked.”  It was a severe beating that I will perhaps always remember but would love to forget. 

That was my last real fighting experience.  I haven’t been practicing since then, so I think that if I were to get in another fight the end result would be very similar.  Thanks for the humbling beat down RW!