OUCH

 

 

 

 

0UCH !

 

Myriads, I mean myriads, of injuries highlighted my childhood. The first one that comes to mind was that my head was the recipient of a large baseball bat, knocking me out and leaving a permanent dent in my cranium. Hey, I would have ducked, if I saw it coming.

 

Another delightful encounter was characterized by a rush to recess (my favorite subject) in which I missed the bar on the door and pushed my hand through the glass. It resulted in several stitches. Luckily, my parents did not have to pay for the broken window, but I missed recess!

 

After making an absolutely beautiful slide into second base, unfortunately on asphalt, a ton of awful-looking abrasions resulted that looked horrible and took forever to heal – and I was Safe!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two “accidents” stand out. The first occurred during a baseball practice. Someone yelled “watch out”! I turned to see a ball coming at my face for what seemed like seconds. I woke up on a bench with team-mates and coaches gathered around me. The end result: a broken nose and a blood-soaked shirt. But, I looked “macho”!

 

Later that night the batter of that evil ball came to my house to apologize, but I never saw him. My eyes were swollen shut. Since there was no TV, I didn’t need to open my eyes. I listened to the radio.

 

Lastly, the piece-de-resistance. At the sixth-grade picnic, I got into a bit of a scrap with Jack Wilson. He sucker-punched me. I went down like a pile of adobe bricks, blood serenely trickling from my mouth.

 

This was an “ah-ha” moment. The guys surrounded Jack, but I was reveling in the company of females. They helped me to my feet, wiped me off and clucked around me like a bunch of mother-hens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A valuable lesson learned! I lost the battle but won the ladies! From that day on, it was make love, not war. If you do make war, make sure you lose so you can attract the fairer sex.

 

Physical encounters are part of growing up in this male (Macho) society. Just remember that a little blood brings out the best in eleven-year-old girls.