Vindicated after 23 years

The topic of bullying has come up in conversation lately with some girlfriends. I was bullied in grade 6 and now what happened to me is happening to a friend's daughter in my neighbourhood. Among other things, she is being left out of "the group" to the point where she feels sick everyday and doesn't want to go to school. Yup, I remember that only too well.

Last night being Halloween I went to my friend's house in the village where there is trick or treat activity. We pulled out her Halloween decorations, they being a small headstone with a bare mannequin leg sticking out, skulls, lights and very spooking music emanating from her house. Our costumes were made up with whatever was in her tickle trunk and man, did we look good for spur of the moment costumes. We made her into a wacky Phyllis Diller/Carol Channing character and she sported the best nasal NY accent (not authentic to her characters), but nonetheless very entertaining. The kids would enter her kitchen and she would talk to them with this accent and they didn't know what the hell she was going on about. It was hilarious. I found myself a Jason type mask and black hooded cloak which hid me very well. Being someone who can't watch any kind of scary movie, I loved that I was playing this role.

Enter 3 girls. One very bossy. She proceeded to harangue us and demand who "we were supposed to be." When it came my turn I stayed perfectly silent and just stared at her in my spookiness. She was very cocky and told me many times she wasn't afraid of me. They left the house and quietly in my blackness I followed them outside and onto the sidewalk into the darkness. They spotted me behind them and all three of them SCREAMED over and over as they ran away.

I walked back into the kitchen buoyant from my victory as my friend told me I just scared the shit out of the biggest bully in school. Vindicated at long last!