Why Does a Dog Chase a Cat?

FOREWORD

During my most formative years, between the ages of nine and fourteen, my three brothers, Bill, Harold and Ben, were pretty much away from home. Bill was married, with his own family, and Harold and Ben were in the Army, fighting in World War Two. I was home with my mother and my sister Shirley, which left me pretty much on my own, regarding manly things.

I was small and half-scared most of the time, so I was fairly well picked on by the likes of Billy Kroger, Buddy Koupman and others, who thought it was a neat thing to smack the smaller kids around. Kroger would use his first baseman’s mitt to backhand me in the face, whenever he felt like it. I couldn’t “run to my Mommy” to tell her I was being picked on, because boys just didn’t do that and live through it.

So, I just took it. Until one day, I was smacking a smaller kid around, I guess just to get back at the world, when Buddy Koupman stopped me and said, “Brackett, if you hit this kid again, you’ve got me to deal with.” Well, I knew Buddy was just looking for a reason to knock me about, because this was none of his business. Anger flew over me, and I still don’t know what made me do it, but I decided to accept his challenge. I just shoved the smaller kid, not enough to hurt him, but enough to indicate to Buddy that I was calling his bluff. When Buddy punched me on the shoulder, I drew back my right hand and I hit him in the face as hard as I could. He went to the ground and just sat there and looked up at me, stunned. Not from the punch, but by the fact that Brackett had stood his ground for the first time in neighborhood history.

I knew I was dead! I knew that he was going to get up and pulverize me! Then an amazing thing happened! He started to cry, got up and ran toward his home, as fast as I had ever seen him run! Now, I was stunned! What had I done? How was I going to get out of this? I was scared, but I had never felt better in my life! That punch felt good!

I apologized to the little kid, and told him that he would never have anything to fear from me again. Then, I told him to go home, before Buddy and Kroger and the others came to get me. I anticipated an ugly scene and much carnage.

As I stood there in the silence among the apartment buildings, waiting for my certain doom, I never felt so alone in my life. My knees were shaking, but my hand and arm still tingled from the force of the blow I had delivered to Buddy Koupman’s face. I could still see his stunned eyes and hear his sobbing cries as he ran away from me, and I felt a power that I had never known before. I had stood up to one of the worst bullies in the neighborhood, and sent him crying home!

My executioners never showed up, so I went home. Not a word was ever said to me about the fight, but no one ever picked on me again. Word had gotten around that Brackett would fight back.

Since that day, more than 60 years ago, I have had two fights, and both of them were warding off attacks from others. I have never started a fight, or accepted the invitation of others to fight, since that day. But, I have never backed down from a threat, either.

I am truly grateful to Buddy Koupman.