Some Final Zingers

For a few years starting when I was in about the fourth grade and ending when I was in the seventh grade, I had to watch out for a bully who lived down the street. This wariness occurred over 50 years ago. His name was Bob Talbot and he was the older brother of one of my pals, Gene Talbot. One time Bob put chewing gum in my hair and then to extract it, gave me an extremely ugly scalp-job. On another occasion he held me out the second floor window of his family’s house by my ankles. I did not do anything wrong, I was just smaller than Bob. It was the very definition of “bullying”. I was saved from all the duress when the Talbots moved away.

My older sister, G.G., knew Bob too. They were classmates. She and Bob got along, more or less, but she knew that Bob was a bully. When the Talbots moved away, my sister lost contact with Bob for the better part of forty-five years. Then thanks to things like the internet, Bob reemerged. She talked to him a number of times over the last few years and actually met with him now and then. I, on the other hand, had no such desire. I still saw him as a bully, although due to the passing of time, he and his past bullying have long since become a source of humor.

Anyway, Bob died a few days ago. He had no known illness, he apparently just keeled over. My sister called me yesterday and gave me the news. She was kind of saddened, I think. To me Bob’s death was just more evidence of both the passing of time, and my own mortality. I felt no remorse. In fact, I joked with my sister over the phone about Bob’s demise. I told my sister that I ought to go to the funeral so I can hang Bob’s body out of his casket by its ankles. It was not said maliciously. It was said jokingly and in humor. I said a few other silly things concerning Bob’s passing, all in jest. They were just a few final zingers. To be honest, I think Bob has them coming.