“THE FUN WE HAD BACK IN THE DAY“ (PART TWO) In part one I introduced you to two kids, alone, who found each other. And whether or not it is acceptable, by the ‘norms’ of our society, how sex appeared as love and acceptance to a boy that was bullied and beaten on an almost daily basis,(not mentioned in part one) and just stepping out the door of my home felt like a risk to my safety. Part two takes you deeper into the emotional state of that boy as he grew in his new family of friends. Korky and I became inseparable. The other kids teased us unmercifully but we did not care anymore. Instead of walking together, I would just go to her house and play. My mom and dad were great parents, if a little clueless of my emotional state. As I complained more and more about the bullying, I was told never to fight, but tell a grown up. Yeah, Right. I had been trying for a whole year. One day, five boys trapped me in the woods on a footpath leading to Korky’s house and beat the piss out of me. Literally. I wet my pants. I tried to hold it all in, but by the time I made it, limping, I was sobbing. I was so embarrassed as Korky opened the door, but I was helpless against the pain, both physical and emotional. Korky opened the door with a smile that instantly evaporated. “Oh, Buddy! What happened?” Words simply failed me. I was stricken with gut wrenching sobs that nearly doubled me over. “Daddy! Daddy, please help me!” Korky hollered. “What? What’s wrong honey?” “Just hurry, daddy, It’s Buddy- he’s hurt!” And the next thing I knew big strong arms were carrying me into the bathroom, where her dad washed my face with a cold, wet washcloth. “What happened to you, Buddy?” her dad asked. By then I had somewhat calmed down. My chest was still hitching, but I was no longer sobbing. “Five boys beat me up on the way over. They always want to mess with me and Korky and I hate them!” “I know, sweetheart, Korky’s told me all about it. We will think about that later, but for now, it looks like your pants are wet. Don’t be embarrassed about it. Take off your cloths and I’ll wash them for you.” I was used to being naked around them, so I did. When I lifted my shirt over my head, he said, “Oh my God, honey, look at what they did to him.” I was yellow, black, blue and purple all over my ribs and back. Korky began to cry and I tried to tell her I’d be O.K, and she hugged me softly and just held me, crying. “Why do they treat us like this?” I asked dad. Her dad said, “Kids can just be uncaring at that age. Until they are taught otherwise. Korky, honey, stay here with buddy while I put his clothes in the washer” “O.K, daddy”, she managed. As I sat there on the toilet she held me, gently rocking back and forth- she was so sweet. Her dad came back from putting my clothes in the washer and told us to come into his little study. He gave me a blanket to wrap with. I‘d started calling him daddy because I liked it. He said, “Kids, this bullshit has gone far enough, don’t you think? Buddy, when your clothes are done I’ll take you home and tell your folks what happened. We’ll get some dirt and grass stains on your cloths ‘cause your mom will wonder how you stayed so clean while getting beat up. Does that sound O.K?” “Yeah, O.K.” “Are you feeling better now- I mean, I know you’re hurt, but you were really upset. Better now?” “A little.” “Well, why don’t you come over here and let me see what they did to you, kiddo.” I walked over and he took the blanket off me and looked me over, and he was so gentle-God, at that moment I really began to love him in a way I’d never loved a grown-up before. “Well, you’ve got a lot of bruises, but that’s all- I think you’ll live.” He kissed my cheek and stole my nose, and I giggled and hugged him around the neck. Softly he rubbed my back, and I told him I loved him. “Well, I love you too, Buddy!” he said. And I love Korky- I have the two best kids in the world, and I am so happy! You guys want a beer and some bong hits” And two 9 year olds screeched “YEAH!!!” So Korky and I got wasted and I felt so much better. We watched cartoons and laughed- it’s amazing how kids can go from one extreme to another. Sleep overtook us both as we watched cartoons and we lay snuggled together on the couch, me against the back of the couch and Korky’s back against my front. “I’ve no idea how long we slept, but we were awakened by her dad with soup, sandwiches and cokes. As Korky got, up I whined because I had stiffened up and hurt pretty badly. She thought she hurt me but I told her she didn’t, I just hurt. So after lunch Korky’s dad took me home and told my dad what happened. After he left my dad told me he was sorry he let it get that out of hand- mom didn’t want me to fight, he said, but he tried to tell her that sometimes boys need to stand up for themselves, and that has nothing whatever to do with a boy looking further for trouble, but stopping trouble that has already started. He told me to go and soak in a nice warm bath, and while I did, mom and dad had an intense argument. Finally I heard the front door open and close and our car start and leave. I dozed and when I came back to myself, the water was cold, so I got out, dried off and dressed. When I walked into the living room, dad had returned and, they called me over to them and told me to sit down. Dad told me he had gone to those boys houses and had conversations with their dads about what they did and what would happen if they did it again. Those boys never bothered Korky and me again. She still was teased by the girls about me, but not as badly as before that incident, so life became much better for us. We were no longer afraid to go anywhere we wanted and life was good.