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I was at Boy Scout Camp (Oceola) and this kid a year or two younger than me decides he can pick on me. He has a couple of older brothers that are also in the troop, one my age and another a year older. He keeps calling me names and whacking me on the head in order to provoke me. I'm at least 6" taller than he and he doesn't have any more meat on his bones than I do, so I can't figure out why he thinks he can pick on me. But I'm definitely a turn the other cheek guy and let it go. It goes on for several days.
One day a bunch of us were walking between two of the camps and were pretty isoated from any adults. The kid that is picking on me and his brother that is my age get into some big arguement over I don't remember what, but the little brother ends up in tears with most everyone ridiculing him, including me.
So he calls me out. Naturally all the other kids in the troop egg me on. Peer pressure finally had its way, so I say, "Sure I'll fight you." I take a swing with my left. I'm moving in slow motion, so he easily ducks it to my right. Repeat. Repeat. Now I am nothing if not observent. It occurs to me that if he keeps ducking to my right when I punch with my left, he is putting his face in a good position for my right. So I throw another slow motion looper with my left, he ducks to my right, and I clock him with the right. He never saw it coming. Gave him a pretty good black eye, with a broken blood vessel in his eye to boot.
His oldest brother (not with us at the time) pulled me aside and told me, "yeah he's a pain in the ass, but what in the heck are you doing beating up on a kid so much smaller than you." Didn't overtly threaten me, but made it clear not to go beating on him any more.
Many years later I ran into my adversary again. It was at the oldest brother's funeral (drunk driving). By now the kid I'd beat up had finished a tour in the Marine Corp, was every bit as tall as me, and built like a house. As I shook his hand and offered condolences, he reminded me of that day. He basically admitted he had it coming, but he had a smile on his face that indicated he wasn't too worried that it would happen again.
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