Thursday, March 08, 2007

My One & Only Fist Fight


In 1992 when I graduated from high school I couldn't wait to get out of my parent's house. My mom had just gotten married and I wanted to taste the freedom of adulthood.

We had moved between my junior and senior years in high school so I didn't really know any of my classmates very well. To make it even better, some of the required courses that were senior classes at my old school were freshmen classes in my new school. Half of my day was spent with people 4 years younger than I was.

I had kept in touch with some friends at my old school and attended the commencement ceremony. Heather had invited me and I was excited to see her graduate.

Heather was a friend that I had for about 2 years before I moved. She had gorgeous red hair and Angelina Jolie-esque lips and was blessed with peaches and cream skin. She was also a very sweet person. Unfortunately she didn't have much common sense and had ended up getting pregnant during her senior year of school. She had her son a couple of months before graduation but continued to attend regular classes rather than allowing herself to be relegated to the alternative high school.

In the summer of 1992 Heather and I moved into a one bedroom apartment in Tacoma, WA. She had the bedroom and shared it with her son and I slept on the pull out couch. It wasn't the best accomodations but it was what we could afford so we made due.

She was living on public assistance and I worked at Dairy Queen making $4.25 per hour. I had a car so I had the freedom to disappear when I needed to. I spent a lot of time with my best friend Jade. Heather had a big old boat of a car and couldn't afford a lot of gas so she was home a lot.

After about 6 months Heather and I were getting on each others nerves. We were both young but in totally different places in our lives. She was a mother and I was young, unecumbered and free to do what I wanted. I respected her and never had parties at the apartment and tried to be respectful. She had started attending a "holy roller" church and had gotten really into attending church about 3-5 days per week. She gave up make-up, cutting her hair and started wearing only skirts and dresses. I went with her a couple of times but it definitely wasn't for me. Any time a church has people come to the front of the church and start yelling in tongues it just is too strange for me. Heck, I grew up Mormon. You can't get much more subdued than that.

To go along with the red hair, Heather had a bit of a temper. I am a very non-confrontational person so if something bothered me I wouldn't really say anything. I just tried to let it go and put it behind me. Heather would get in my face and let me know exactly what she was pissed off about and it was very hard for me to deal with that type of communication.

I don't remember what really set off the argument. It might have had something to do with her turning all holy roller or it might have been about money or the fact that when her son would cry she would bring him into the living room (my bedroom) and put him in his swing with a bottle and leave him here. I honestly don't remember. What I do remember is finally overcoming my non-confrontational communication style and going off on Heather. I finally let her know what I thought about everything and somehow we started swinging at each other.

I can still see the entire fight in slow motion. I still remember Heather's fist swinging towards the side of my head and the stars that danced before my eyes when she made contact. I was more of a slapper. She was a puncher. I got a few good hits in and she got a few hits on me. We never hit each others faces but hit the side of the head, arms and such.

The fight ended when we had our hands so twisted in each others hair that we couldn't move. Both bent over pulling as hard as we could. After a short argument we both let go of each other at the same time.

As soon as the fight was over I walked out the door. I didn't want her to see my cry. I was so angry and so hurt and disappointed in myself. Here I am, an adult, and I can't control my temper.

I finally went back into the apartment and heard Heather on the phone crying to her Pastor about what had happened. I went into the kitchen and started sweeping a flashlight on the linoleum. Heather said something about that I wouldn't be able to find any blood. I wasn't looking for blood. She had hit me so hard she knocked the contact out of my eye.

Within a month Heather had moved out and I had the apartment to myself. I moved back home a few months later.

I never did find my contact.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Heather sounds like a real winner. Knocked up in highschool and "pn public assistance" i.e welfare. My God what is the world coming to?

Vote Republican in 2008 and WAKE UP PEOPLE.

Ann Coulter for President!

Rachel said...

Anon ~ If Ann Coulter was EVER voted for president (which will never happen - too many people hate her) she would be assasinated faster than any other president.

I dislike her intensely.

Anonymous said...

Why because she tells the truth? Lots of liberals dislike people who tell the truth.

Mitt Romney in 2008!

Rachel said...

I think that she is an incredibly rude woman who looks very cold (emotionally, not physically).
And she doesn't know how to dress. I can't tell you how many times I saw that stupid, ugly tube dress when she was whoring herself out to the media promoting the drivel that she writes.

You would really vote for a Mormon for president?

Anonymous said...

Sorry you didn't find your contact. Heather sounds scary in her holy-roller stage. Did she have bruises? Did you get a good square-on punch at her?

Ann Coulter is evil. And she looks like the lovechild of Satan and an anorexic stick.

Republicans are much of the reason this country is in such a state of moral decay.

All the wrong people get assassinated or hit by trucks.

Rachel said...

Playtah ~ Neither of us ended up with bruises or scratches. Just a few clumps of hair pulled out.

Heather was a bit strange during that time. She attended that church for about 10 years before she realized that it was a bit off.

I'm not going to comment anymore about Ann Coulter. I have made it abundantly clear what I think of her and I don't want to beat a dead horse.

Anonymous said...

I am republican and would and will not vote for ann or mitt in '08. I am not sure if it is the republicans that are the cause of the direction of this country. I know in MI we have a Democrate for a Governor and she has not done the job she said she would or pushed us in the direction she promised. I know campaigns are a lot of talk with little action but when we had a republican governor we where doing better as a state. Was this a result of the programs implamented by the prior administration or not I am sure but that is usually what happens. It takes a while for new programs to show results.

Sorry about the fistfight. I think that I have only hit one person other than my brother when it comes to a fight. My size and attitude usually persuaded people I was not someone they wanted to fight.

Tara said...

Maybe your contact got lost in Heather's hair when you two were ensnared. I would be so shaken up if I participated in a fight, but like you I would try to step out before the other person would see me cry. I'd be shaking like crazy, too.

Thanks for sharing this story!

Christina said...

I've never been in an actual physical altercation but always kind of wanted to. I guess the closest I ever came was with my sister, who I still want to hit every now and then. Either way, good story. I'm glad you and Heather parted ways; it didn't sound like things were going down a good path.

Churlita said...

Wow. I've never been in a physical fight, nor would I ever vote for Ann Coulter.

Anonymous said...

Rudy in 2008! The minorities and irresponsible people i.e single mothers are destroying the moral fabric of this country.

Vote Republican in 2008 and save the USA!!!

Rachel said...

Dennis ~ I could understand why you would intimidate people when you are angry. Heck, you scare you boss even when you are pleasant.
I'm not scared of you though...much.

Tara ~ I don't know what happened to it. It is lost forever. This was back when there weren't disposable contacts. They cost a lot of $$ back then cause I have an astigmatism. Crying and shaking ~ I do both when I am hurt and angry.

tinabellina ~ I actually saw her a few years later. She was married to a guy she met at the holy roller church and had another child.
I have a friend who keeps in touch with her and I talked to her about a year ago. She is now an RN and is divorced.

Churlita ~ I never thought I would be in a fist fight either. I am a Libra and was so non-confrontational it isn't funny. I am a bit better but I still like to wrap up my critcism in cotton candy, rainbow, unicorn - esque communication.

Rachel said...

Anon ~ I sure am destroying the moral fabric of this society.
I work full time, pay my taxes, care for my son without any kind of assistance, pay my bills and have been celibate for a very long time.
I am soooo much worse than those republicans that have affairs with men and lie to grand jurys.
I won't even justify your slur against minorities with a response.

laughing said...

Homewreckingsluts and people who are friends with homewreckingsluts and people who look the other way when they know about homewreckingsluts are what's destroying the moral fabric of this country and a bunch of other countries. Some of them happen to be minorities and/or single moms. A lot of them are white single men.

Anonymous and himself should get a room.

Anonymous said...

Didn't Bill Clinton lie to America about his affair with Monica Lewinsky? Maybe ex governor James McGreevey? Should I keep going...

Congrats on taking care of a chile your decided to have without the proper support systems in place.

Anonymous said...

Anon, you are right...Bush and Co. lied about the war and 655,000+ innocent people died as a result. But that's nothing...Clinton lied about SEX!!! Oooooo!!!!

And you're talking to us about OUR messed up morals?

Anonymous said...

How do you know Bush lied? Do you have access to classified. top secret intelligence. No, you have access to liberal blogs and news programs all of which never state facts.

Wrong again Playtah.

Anonymous said...

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

laughing said...

Yes, sleep.

Let's all take a nap.

Anonymous said...

Sorry Laughing, some of us have jobs and dare I say "gym memberships."

laughing said...

No sleep for you then.

No wonder you never have anything nice to say.

egan said...

Huh, who's this anonymous freak? Ann Coulter?

Rachel, I swear that person isn't me, but after my post topic yesterday... what a pain.

I had a fistfight or two when I was younger. They never really prove anything. Do you talk to that friend anymore?

dmarks said...

Donno how I managed without ever having engaged in an actual brawl.

laughing said...

Hey, someone actually wants to talk about the post.

Can we ask all kinds of stuff that's really none of our business?

Did the Dairy Queen job actually pay half of the rent and expenses, or did Heather get free rent from some government program and just didn't want to live buy herself? I have a friend who gets some kind of government check for rent, but only ten dollars for utilities, so that's all screwed up.

How did you end up with the couch if the baby's stuff was in the living room? If the baby stuff was in the living room it would make more sense for you to have the bedroom and her to sleep on the couch. Unless she was paying more rent or something like that.

Did you try to find another roommate? Or were you about ready to go back to your mom's place anyway?

Did someone at the church take in Heather and the baby?

After you had your own baby, did the stuff she did make more sense, or did she still seem very selfish with putting the baby in the swing and all of that?

None of my business really, but since we are back on the subject of the post, I was wondering.

Wanderlusting said...

Wow - great story. Holly Roller's are a bit intimidating to me - which is why I don't go to church when I should - but damn if they should punch you so hard your contact comes out!

Rachel said...

Laughingattheslut ~ I pretty much agree with everything that you just said.

Anon ~ I can't think of one person on the earth who has never told a lie ~ me included. Except for JC.

Egan ~ Anon used to have a blog and went by Anon1. I know who he is and rest assured I wouldn't in a million years assume that he was you. Welcome to my blog troll infested world :)
One of my best friends Jade still talks to her and I spoke to her about a year ago. We don't keep up with each other though.

dmarks ~ I bet you are able to talk your way out of most situations :)

laughingattheslut ~ I paid for half of the rent and utilities. We didn't have cable so it was basically just half the electric and phone. I think that she got discounted phone service but I paid for my half.

The living room had the baby swing in it because she put her son in it during the day too. Her bedroom also had his crib in there. One time I literally picked up the swing and put it in her bedroom and shut the door. She wasn't very happy when I did that but it was one of those manual ones that only ran for about 20 minutes. I was NOT about to get up every 20 minutes to wind it back up. I had to work the next day.
I was nice and paid for 1/2 even though I didn't have my own room.

I did have a room mate for about a month but she was whacked in the head and moved out pretty quickly.

I think that she moved in with someone from the church. It was also by the military base so they had some rooms attached to the church for soldiers to live in so that they didn't have to live on base. I am not sure where she went. We didn' talk for a long time.

After I had D I understood how exhausted and most of the time that she did these things she was half asleep. I would not have done a lot of the things that she did. Some of them were just plain disrespectful. I wouldn't put my fussy baby in another room with someone who wasn't related to me.

Wanderlusting ~ She had a hell of a right hook.

Anonymous said...

Egan - You couldn't punch your way out of a wet paper bag. And I can truthfully say you wouldn't less 30 seconds if you went toe to toe with me.

laughing said...

Why would Egan want to play footsies with Anon?

And I think Egan is already married.

Anonymous said...

This time zone stuff makes my brain hurt.

Anonymous said...

I did not know gay marriages were legal in Washington.

egan said...

I couldn't imagine why you would keep in touch with her. I say kill her with kindness. (------)

M said...

crikey, I've never been in a fight. I reckon if I was angry enough I'd fight dirty though! lol.

Freckle Face Girl said...

The whole thing (living with & fighting her) sounds like a real learning experience for you.

Ann Coulter for pres? Now, that is crazy!