The exact reason why we hated Brittin I don't remember, maybe it was
a product of the grubby kid neighborhood zeitgeist, maybe we were
just jerks. He really was a rich kid but, he was not ostentatiously
wealthy and so I don't remember hating him for that. His family was
and is worth millions and he has gone on to be a doctor but they were
always very friendly and down to earth so I am trying to remember why
we started hating him so much. It wasn't that he didn't share he was
the first kid who ever let me play as much Nintendo as I desired with
scrupulously fair turns. So that wasn't it either. One day though he
was walking with another friend and a group of us started berating
him for killing little birds. I think that to a boy each of us had
partaken of this little peccadillo but for some reason in the road
this one summer day we decided to really go after Brittin for his
gross sins against nature. The conversation devolved into a scuffle
and one of the younger boys and Brittin actually got into a little
fight. After that for about a year we would insult Brittin and make
fun of the size and shape of his head and his love of hunting, which
we all pretty much shared. This went on for a little bit and then it
was over and he was good again and we remained on great terms all
through school and after. It was just a pecking party like from 'One
Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest', we just got the notion somehow and all
went after one kid and tried to peck him to death. To his credit he
never tried to get us back and forgave us when it was over.
