by Larry Krantz

I would share an experience I had many years ago. When I was in ninth grade, a freshman in high school, I took the bus to and from school. I often sat with my friend Jill, who was quite attractive, a year older, and somewhat artsy—all of which intrigued me. We enjoyed each other’s company. One time, on the long ride home there was a fellow sitting in the seat in front of us who was a senior, and also the running back on the football team. He was a big muscular guy and, as I was about to find out, something of a bully with a mean streak. He turned around and grabbed Jill’s purse, searched through it, came up with a can of hairspray, and sprayed it in her face, a nasty thing to do.

 I felt a bit protective and said, “Hey, man. That’s not cool.” His response was to haul off and punch me in the mouth hard enough to push my two front teeth back. They have been like that since, a memento of that day on the school bus.