I'm Still Standing
I got a random e-mail today from T.B., a guy I went to junior high and high school with. Back then he was a thuggish little fuck who used to bully and torment me in seventh and eighth grades. (It was an all-boys school, not that that made a difference.) I remember that he also got good grades, which was unusual for a "bad" boy. Another thing: He was a huge Elton John fan.
Some of my older readers might remember that in 1976, Elton John gave a much-publicized interview to Rolling Stone magazine in which he came out as "bisexual." It was quite the huge story at the time. This was long before he came out as gay, became an AIDS philanthropist, and married a man.
I remember how devastated T.B. was to hear this news. I don't recall him making any blatantly homophobic comments about Elton John, calling him a faggot or anything, though he was certainly capable of it. I just remember him walking around in a kind of I-can't-believe-it daze for what seemed like weeks.
Younger readers might find it incredible that anyone could miss the fact that Elton John was gay, but in those days he was just considered outrageous and flamboyant. And his music was so much better than it is today; it was good. That's how he was known first and foremost: as a musician.
Anyway, by senior year, T.B. and I were friendly (though not quite friends). My class was so small (23 people) that by the time we were in our final year, hanging out in the senior lounge, doing stuff together on weekends, we had almost all bonded. There were very few rivalries and cliques left. It was nice. With one or two exceptions, we all kind of respected each other.
So today T.B. e-mails me to ask if I'm the same "Billy" he remembers; he came across my name in the publication I work for: "I started my own ____________ firm a little over two years ago and have learned a great deal working with clients and [about?] human behavior. . . . I have my own newsletter and enjoy writing. Would you like to have lunch sometime?"
I said sure.
I once wrote a really bitter and vengeful -- and not very good -- short story about a guy who runs into a former classmate who used to bully him. I don't feel bitterness or vengeance toward T.B. It will just be interesting to see him. He's one of only a couple of guys whom I'm pretty sure I haven't seen even once since the summer after graduation 28 years ago.
Tonight I looked through my old diary from seventh and eighth grades to see if there was anything about him. This is all I found:
November 14, 1973: "T.B. stapled his finger by accident this morning. It didn't bleed much but it made me sick to think about it."
Some of my older readers might remember that in 1976, Elton John gave a much-publicized interview to Rolling Stone magazine in which he came out as "bisexual." It was quite the huge story at the time. This was long before he came out as gay, became an AIDS philanthropist, and married a man.I remember how devastated T.B. was to hear this news. I don't recall him making any blatantly homophobic comments about Elton John, calling him a faggot or anything, though he was certainly capable of it. I just remember him walking around in a kind of I-can't-believe-it daze for what seemed like weeks.
Younger readers might find it incredible that anyone could miss the fact that Elton John was gay, but in those days he was just considered outrageous and flamboyant. And his music was so much better than it is today; it was good. That's how he was known first and foremost: as a musician.
Anyway, by senior year, T.B. and I were friendly (though not quite friends). My class was so small (23 people) that by the time we were in our final year, hanging out in the senior lounge, doing stuff together on weekends, we had almost all bonded. There were very few rivalries and cliques left. It was nice. With one or two exceptions, we all kind of respected each other.
So today T.B. e-mails me to ask if I'm the same "Billy" he remembers; he came across my name in the publication I work for: "I started my own ____________ firm a little over two years ago and have learned a great deal working with clients and [about?] human behavior. . . . I have my own newsletter and enjoy writing. Would you like to have lunch sometime?"
I said sure.
I once wrote a really bitter and vengeful -- and not very good -- short story about a guy who runs into a former classmate who used to bully him. I don't feel bitterness or vengeance toward T.B. It will just be interesting to see him. He's one of only a couple of guys whom I'm pretty sure I haven't seen even once since the summer after graduation 28 years ago.
Tonight I looked through my old diary from seventh and eighth grades to see if there was anything about him. This is all I found:
November 14, 1973: "T.B. stapled his finger by accident this morning. It didn't bleed much but it made me sick to think about it."
posted by Billy at 10:28 PM
3 Comments:
I would be fascinated to hear how your lunch turns out. I recently had a similar experience when a friend encouraged me (okay, leaned on me) to sign up for Facebook. There hasn't been any contact yet, but it was interesting to see some faces from my high school years. (I did write a post on it, Living well is the best revenge.)
OMG, elton is gay???
speaking of prunes, i'm not sure that mainstream america recognizes gayness immediately. how else did the village people slip by the censors and rise to such popularity? i would venture, disco freaks were simply clueless and those in the know were gay; and wasn't the disco aesthetic the metrosexuality of it's time?
so will he turn out to be a sister or a priest? maybe both
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