Sticks and Stones (short story)

“Hey you fat fuck get out of the way. The streets supposed to have room for more than one elephant.”

Oh who said that? Who the fuck said that? I stop and I look around blood rushing to my face just in anger, just in anger. Oh I want to kill that little asshole. How dare a person say something like that to another human being? Sure I’m fat, but does that make me less human?

I spot the little creep that shouted at me. He has a mischievous look in his eyes. My heart drops. Who am I fooling? What am I going to do, eat him? He sees both my rage and its fading away. There’s no one else around, maybe he gets a kick out of picking on the vulnerable.

“Hey mother fucker, when you eat Christmas dinner, do you get a turkey to yourself? I bet you do! I bet your mother is fucking fat, and your father is fucking fat, and all your brothers and sisters are, and you all have your own turkey. People like you make me sick. Pigs. You’re what’s wrong with our country. You’re why the Chinese are winning.”

I keep walking. I stare at the ground. He’s shadowing me. Why would one person intentionally be cruel to another person? What have I ever done to this man? Doesn’t he know how much it hurts to be this fat? That every day the first thing I think when I wake up is how much I hate myself for being like this. Is this voluntary? Yeah, people like this always tell you to go hit the gym, get life sorted out, but it’s not so simple. They make it seem like we don’t try. All I do in my life is try to not be this disgusting blob that I am and it doesn’t make any difference. I hate myself. I hate myself. I hate myself.

“Oh, don’t want to lose some calories by talking back to me? I understand, wouldn’t want you to waste away to nothing. Oh ho! You really are something. You really are something.”

He turns to go away and I feel so good to be left alone. I should shout something out after him. I should tell him how evil he is. I should call him on his arrogance. But why would he listen to some fat piece of shit like me? Why would anyone listen to me? Let me just get out of here.

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