Sprint
11-25-11, 7:42 am
Walking home from work yesterday, about 10mins from my house, in the distance I saw 5 kids, 4 lads & lass, aged about 12 in their school uniforms standing in a bit of a group.
As I got closer, 1 of the kids was knelt down beside 1 of the bikes led on the floor. As I reached them, about to go around, 1 of the lads looked at me with tears streaming down his face. In a broken voice, he said "Can you help me please?"
Initially, I thought he had a problem with his bike, & the kid kneeling beside it was trying to fix it. The kid then quickly stood up & looked at me.
"What's up?" I asked the crying lad. I've got no idea about bikes, & feared I was about to further crush him by being unable to help.
"Get them off" he pleaded, gesturing at the others.
Now, all of a sudden, I understood what the problem was. For whatever reason, these 4 were giving this lad a hard time. The 1 who had been knelt down was about to do something to his bike, either removing the chain or letting the tyres down. Once that was done, who knew what else the group had planned for the lone victim.
Simultaneously I felt both pity for the lad, for being so scared he felt compelled to plead to a complete stranger for help, and anger towards the scum who had to roam in numbers to quench their cowardly, nasty thirst for causing misery.
I shot a look at the one who had been kneeling, & he began to stutter.
"He's being a -" was all he managed, as he tried to justify the situation.
Interrupting him, I turned back to their victim.
"Which way are you going, mate?" I asked.
He pointed down the road, the same way I was heading.
I turned back to the gang, now looking decidedly uneasy in my presence.
"What way are you lot going?" I demanded.
"That way" one of them replied, & pointed in the direction I had just come. The opposite way to where the other lad was going. This shit didn't need the UN to come sort it out.
"Right mate, grab your bike & get going" I said to the victim, & as he sped off, I turned to the others.
"Off you go, NOW!" I snarled at them, pointing down the road with my thumb.
He'll probably get battered tomorrow at school, but there's no way I was going to stand by whilst 4 bullies savage a lone victim. Maybe he deserved a kicking, I don't know. I didn't even want to hear the supposed justification, 4 on 1 isn't fair & it wasn't going to happen whilst I cross the road & look the other way. Certainly not in my neighbourhood.
I feel those of us who are in the position, for whatever reason, where we are too hard a target for bullies should find it within ourselves to stand up for those who are unable. There's more than enough evil shit in the world, as our brave armed forces can testify to first-hand, without us turning on each other. With Remembrance Day still fresh in the memory, I would've thought at least some respect for those around us would still linger.
They were only kids, sometimes I look at the past & weep for the future.
As I got closer, 1 of the kids was knelt down beside 1 of the bikes led on the floor. As I reached them, about to go around, 1 of the lads looked at me with tears streaming down his face. In a broken voice, he said "Can you help me please?"
Initially, I thought he had a problem with his bike, & the kid kneeling beside it was trying to fix it. The kid then quickly stood up & looked at me.
"What's up?" I asked the crying lad. I've got no idea about bikes, & feared I was about to further crush him by being unable to help.
"Get them off" he pleaded, gesturing at the others.
Now, all of a sudden, I understood what the problem was. For whatever reason, these 4 were giving this lad a hard time. The 1 who had been knelt down was about to do something to his bike, either removing the chain or letting the tyres down. Once that was done, who knew what else the group had planned for the lone victim.
Simultaneously I felt both pity for the lad, for being so scared he felt compelled to plead to a complete stranger for help, and anger towards the scum who had to roam in numbers to quench their cowardly, nasty thirst for causing misery.
I shot a look at the one who had been kneeling, & he began to stutter.
"He's being a -" was all he managed, as he tried to justify the situation.
Interrupting him, I turned back to their victim.
"Which way are you going, mate?" I asked.
He pointed down the road, the same way I was heading.
I turned back to the gang, now looking decidedly uneasy in my presence.
"What way are you lot going?" I demanded.
"That way" one of them replied, & pointed in the direction I had just come. The opposite way to where the other lad was going. This shit didn't need the UN to come sort it out.
"Right mate, grab your bike & get going" I said to the victim, & as he sped off, I turned to the others.
"Off you go, NOW!" I snarled at them, pointing down the road with my thumb.
He'll probably get battered tomorrow at school, but there's no way I was going to stand by whilst 4 bullies savage a lone victim. Maybe he deserved a kicking, I don't know. I didn't even want to hear the supposed justification, 4 on 1 isn't fair & it wasn't going to happen whilst I cross the road & look the other way. Certainly not in my neighbourhood.
I feel those of us who are in the position, for whatever reason, where we are too hard a target for bullies should find it within ourselves to stand up for those who are unable. There's more than enough evil shit in the world, as our brave armed forces can testify to first-hand, without us turning on each other. With Remembrance Day still fresh in the memory, I would've thought at least some respect for those around us would still linger.
They were only kids, sometimes I look at the past & weep for the future.