Fisticuffs

A retarded kid just hit me. No kidding. I'd just walked Calista to her classroom and was heading back to the car when a group of kids and parents passed me on the sidewalk going the opposite direction. A girl aged 8 or 9, obviously mentally challenged, swung out as she went by and thumped me solidly on the arm. It wasn't an accidental spastic movement, either--she had to reach and make an effort to connect. It didn't hurt, because, really, it was a handicapped 8-year-old. But it triggered one of those surreal "did that really just happen, or did I imagine it?" responses in me. How many times do complete strangers randomly hit you sans provocation? Her father, obviously mortified, scolded her immediately, saying "Do not hit him! Be nice!" For my part, I didn't respond because the poor guy's obviously got his hands full with the child, who, through no fault of her own, is going to be a challenge for her family the rest of her life. It made me count our blessings that Calista and Keela, challenging as they can be in their own right, are not handicapped in any way.

Then I called Lisa to tell her what happened, since being assaulted by a retarded kid isn't something that happens every day, and must be shared. Lisa paused a moment, then asked "This girl, does she have short hair, light colored?" Well, yes. How did you know? "They go to our church. When I went to the bathroom last week she tried to hit me. She missed, but definitely took a swing at me."

So there you have it. This child is stalking my family, intent on doing us bodily harm. Bizarre.

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