Oh jeez! A lot of racial abuse...
This big fat lad and his friend hound me with it on an almost daily basis. The n-word, Paki. Comparing my appearance to a monkey. But that stop once my older sister complained to the school. They mocked my physical disability as well.
But I got my own back on him years later when he started on me again during secondary school though. One day during lunch break, after he constantly try to get my attention and my mates who I was sitting with telling me to just ignore him, I just responded by shouting him over to my table. First thing I say to the big lad:
“Awrite, big man? Take a seat. In fact, take that yin as well...”
Which got a unexpected laugh from his friend. I then proceeded to tell how hellish he made my early school life, in middle of this, he asks me if I was done n’ go:
“Aye, hold on... The pie and chips are just over there anyway”, nodding my head in the direction of the cafferia. He says nothing, but I heard one of my mates whispers to the other:
“Eh, did he just say that...?” Then erupting in laughter. After he apologises to me for how he treated me in the past, I shake his hand and say sorry for all the things I just said. And that I was just proving my point, the big guy just laugh it off, saying he kinda deserved it anyway.
Another time during secondary school, this boy who I befriend that was a couple years younger than me - and also physically disabled - was getting picked on by another lad who was in a few of the same class as him. One day, again during lunch break, unknown to me, this lad sits at the table directly opposite us, and just starts with the name calling... whispering
“You’re a spastic”, clapping quietly and saying it again.
I lean into Daniel, the boy whom this remark is directed at and asking if that the boy who’s been bullying him. He confirms that it is, and that the boys sitting to the left and right of the boy taunting us, are also in a few of the same classes as Daniel. Daniel then asks if I’m going to batter them, and I go:
”Nah! Worse than that... Watch this!”
So wait until this wee chant begins again, and before the lad does for umpteenth time, I go:
”Hey! Sorry to interrupt, but did you just say “You’re a spastic”?”
“Eh? Ah wus talking to him, not you!”
“Aw, so you admit it, then?”
“Huh!? Admit what?”
“That you’re a spastic? That is what ye said, right?”
Silence!
“What? Nay response or witty comebacks?”, I asked. This lad is just sitting there, frowning at me. So, I break the tension by saying:
”Eh, that’s not a good look. If a gust o’ wind blows your direction while looking like that yer face might stay that way forever”
Daniel finally goes at that point, head in his hands, laughing. Finally, as the boy who had been taunting us gets up to leaving the cafeteria with his mates, he has a comeback:
“Duh! F*ckin’ Paki”. Without missing a beat I responded with...
”Ha! Built-in sun tan, ya daft mong!”
Oh, and there’s a few other incidents during primary school. A lad just a younger than me was mocking the way I walk due to my disability, this was after school as I’m making my way to my oldest sister’s car, she come to pick me up. My friend at the time, Scott tells me to keep walking, just ignore it. But, no, I turn march up to the boy, who had the old moptop hairdo and wore glasses.
”Say that again! Tae ma face this time. C’mon! Call me a mong again, specky. C’mon!”
“Graeme, just leave it!”
“So, just let him saying it behind ma back then?! Naw! Don’t thinks so!”
After waiting for what seemed like ages, I go:
“Can I try on yer glasses?”, grabbing then before a response is even given. Put them on, and ask my friend:
“How do I look? D’they suit me?” Then, before handing them back, I deliver a right hook to the jaw of the boy who just mocked me.
BOOM! Down he goes, like a bag of spuds. And I just... walk away. Unaware that 3 teachers have just witnessed the latter part of this confrontation out of context.
Just me belting some younger lad in the gob for no apparent reason.
They’re yelling at me to come back and say sorry. But I keep on walking, and getting into my sister’s car, pissed off look on my face. My oldest sister asks me what’s wrong put I say nothing. My mate then knocks on the car door at my passenger side, I wind down the window to him laughing and saying:
“You’re gonnae be in trouble tomorrow”. My sister again asks what happened, my friend jumps in the back seat and recounts the whole incident. Then she looks at me again and asks:
”Is that true, Graeme?”
“Uh-huh!”
“Serves him right”, she says. Very matter of fact about it.
“And, at least ya hud the decency to take him glasses off first. That wus good o’ ye” This got a laugh. Then my older sister who sitting behind the driver’s side in the back goes: “Ah cannae believe... did you really dae that, Graeme?” And my friend just goes: “Aye! Ah wus standing right next tae ‘em as he did it! Graeme, can we tell Dougie and Steven about this during break the morra? That’s if you’ve got detention. They’re gonnae huv a right laugh...”
Next day, I apologise to the boy in the playground, in front of the teacher who saw me hit him. Then Scott and his mate Douglas come up to us and ask about what happened, and we laugh about it.
And the final incident was 18 year ago, during the spring, when I total snapped. The older brother of one of my classmates was giving me grief for months up to this point. Him and his 2 friends. So, after a back and forth of him asking me if I’d retaliate if he hit me, I get sucker punched in the gut and spat on.
Aww... gonnae cry n’ tell the teacher, are ye?”
“No!”
“What then?”
“This!”
I then proceed to punch him in the stomach, and take him down to a knee by grabbing him in arm lock.
”Ah, my arm!”
. And with that, he’s f*ckin’ scream loud enough that now the whole playground are baring witness to this 12 year old skinhead getting his arse handed to him.
“Right, ya b@$@%*! Say sorry... and I’ll let ye go”
“Promise?”
“Aye!”
”Sorry!
“Speak up, MacKenzie! Ah didnae quite hear that!”
“SORRY!!”
To the right of me, in my peripheral vision, I see one of MacKenzie’s mates, this fat, curly haired lad - is fixing to punch me upside the head. But I look up quick enough, and bellowed:
“Didnae even... !! You were gonna hit me there, weren’t ya?!” As I’ve still got his mate crying on one knee. Next thing he starts begging and pleading for me not to hurt him. Which I
DON’T. Pointing out that I could’ve done so within mere seconds of grabbing him. So, I let him go, and knee him in the left-ribs as he drops to the tarmac, blubbering.
I’m still in fowl mood. Red-faced, running of adrenaline and rage. So, I decided might as well make the most of the attention and start picking a fight with the chubby who came close to hitting me in the back of the head.
C’mon then, fatty! What you gonnae do - eat me?! If ah hit you will you hit me back? C’mon! Square go. Look! I’ll even make it easy - hands behind my back. Go! No? Okay, I’ll shut. My eyes. Well, then? What’s ya waiting for, take a shot. Didn’t think so!”
And last of this trio is just standing a few feet from three of my classmates who are witnessing all this, dumbfounded. I shout him over, no response. I shout again,
”Hey, Bobby? C’mere!”. Still nothing... I finally get pissed off and march right up to him, telling him I haven’t got all day.
”Aye! Yer not so tough now, are ye? Don’t you... ever try that with me again! Got that?! Same goes fur you, MacKenzie!”
“Ah think you’ve broken my arm?”
“Aye right! Ah didnae hear it break, sorry. And you’d know if I had... cuz you wouldnae clutching it like that. Now, pick him up, and get tae! Away n’ tell a teacher, I’m sure they’ll believe ya”
With that, I walk over to my 3 classmates, Steve, Scott and Douglas and breakdown in tears. Crying, slumped against the steel fence that leads out into the car park. :crying:
”You awrite, Graeme?”, Scott asks
“Eh, aye... Did ye no just see that, Scott?”, Douglas says, shocked
“Where did that come fae, man?! Whoa! Bet they didnae expect that?”, Steven says, not quite believing what I just did.
Douglas just laughs and reassure me that: “Well, one things certain: They’ll no be bothering you again, Graeme. EVER!”
”D’ye think I’ll get in trouble?”
“Naw! No efter that... Nay chance!”
