This is a true story that I shared with someone recently... ..thought I'd share it with you as well.
One nice summer day my parents threw this big cook out. All of my relatives were there. My Aunts, Uncles, cousins, grandparents on my mothers side, a few friends, everyone. Cookouts were allot of fun for me, and I have mostly fond memories of them, but, unfortunately, this was not one of them.
My father had gone out and bought a nice new volley ball net, which my brother and I had helped him set up early that morning, and a brand new ball. Jared and I played together, hitting the ball back and forth over the net, but that was nothing compared to the real game that started a few hours later.
We split into two teams, me on one, Jared on the other, and we had a blast. I was running around like a complete volley ball nut. Being only six or seven, I didn't really know the rules of the game, so I just hit what ever came at me, which was fine with the adults. I mean the whole purpose of the game was to have fun.
Anyway, My Aunt hit the ball over the net and my uncle, trying to be funny, spiked it with his fist and sent the ball sailing over everyone's head toward the street.
"What the hell was that?" My Aunt (his own wife) asked.
"I don't know, but that felt good." My uncle said with a laugh as we all watched it go.
"....... and so will be the walk when your hiking your butt over there to get the ball." She told him.
"I'll get it!" I yelled suddenly and went running like a bat out of hell across the yard, toward the street.
I think at first everyone thought I would stop at the curb, but to their horror I did not. I went right in after it. As soon as my foot hit the road I could hear them all screaming and shouting for me to stop, but it was like I didn't get what they were saying to me. I mean all I thought about was getting the _d_a_m_n_ ball.
All I can say is thank God there were no cars coming, because I didn't even look.
The ball rolled completely across and stopped under my neighbors car, which is where I picked it up and was about to run back across the street -- again without looking-- but my cousin Justin, who was sixteen at the time, yelled for me to stay where I was. "Roland stop!" He shouted giving me a look.
When I saw him coming toward me I realized what I had just done. "Your gonna get it now." He told me as he grabbed my hand and led me back across.
When we got back to our side of the street my father was already walking towards me at a fast pace with this look on his face that told me exactly what was about to happen. He was fuming mad.
"ROLAND!" He shouted. "Come here!"
I ran the other direction.
"Come here!" He shouted again and ran after me.
I gave it my best shot, but I was much too small to get away from him before he ran up behind me and yanked me back by my arm.
"You little _s_h_i_t_....." He yelled as he hoisted me up in the air.
Then POW, his big hand came down on my tale, hard.
"Don't you ever......POW....Ever! ....POW...run....POW.... in the......POW......street....POW.....again!"
I started screaming and crying immediately.
"Do......POW ......you...... POW.....understand.... POW........me.....POW."
The last blow knocked my feet out from under me and he let me fall to the ground at his feet, coughing, choking and crying.
My Mother was there a second later pulling me to my feet. "What were you thinking?" She asked me in a part angry, part scared tone.
"I was just getting the ball." I choked out.
Then they started tag teaming me.
"To hell with that ball, you ran across the _d_a_m_n_ street!" My father shouted.
"The street is a dangerous place. You could have been hit by a car." Mom said shaking me.
"How many times have we told you never to go into the road?" My father shouted again.
"We've told you a hundred times!" Mom again.
I just stood there in front of them, looking up with tears running down my face. "I didn't mean to."
"Get your butt over there and sit!" My father yelled, pointing toward the picnic table.
"And don't you get up till we tell you!" Mom added.
I ran over to the picnic table as fast as my hurting butt would let me and sat down next to my grandmother who tried to comfort me, but there was nothing she could do to ease the pain. Not that she didn't try. She pulled me up on her lap and tried to rub the wounded area a little, but I kept pushing her hand away and crying that it hurt.
I spent a half an hour sitting with my grandmother before my father finally came over and told me I could go about my business.
"OK, you can get up, but if you ever do that again, I'll bust your butt so bad you won't sit for a week...you got that!" He said in his powerful voice.
"Uh huh." I said looking up at him.
"All right then Go!"
I went all right, and pretty soon another game started up, but I can tell you I stayed as far from the road as I could get.