3 is the Number ... Just Before Hell Breaks Out

3 is the Number ... Just Before all Hell Breaks Out
By Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee/@GeeGranny

Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee

Have you ever been bullied?  Where someone thinks they can just totally intimidate you with words, actions?  Do you let them?


As a child growing up I learned young that 'I'd rather die and go to Hell' ... than to be bullied ... especially by a big-ass, blonde-headed woman.


Through time it seems those types of women wanted to always 'beam' in on me to take their anger out ... make me a whipping post, a scapegoat.  Imagine their surprise when they encountered my reaction to it.


I grew up being beaten, slapped around ... whipped with a belt and the buckle, and even with a piece of wood from the stove wood.  I was mistreated ... and it was always a woman who did it.  Mentally, physically ...


Only one man ever hit me as a child ... that was the one time my father did when one of my ... sisters ... lied on me about using his razor.  He hit me so hard in my face that he made up for never hitting me ... and I was devastated.  I ran away from his home to never return.


Getting back to women abusing me.  I finally got to an age where I just couldn't take the screaming, the pain ... the Hell I was forced to endure.  I was fourteen when I fought back.  I didn't want to but, one of my aunts had made gashes in my upper arm ( I still have the scars you can see ... and the scars mentally you can't see ) ...  the pain was so great that it triggered something in me.


That was the last time she ever touched me ... I never hit her back but, I jerked away from her, looked her in her eyes and I told her to never put her hands on me again because if she did ... it would be me 'whipping her ass'.  Isn't that so ugly?  It was the only way I could make her stop ... and it worked.


I had so much anger, hate in me that I would have died before taking anymore abuse.  At that moment I would have fought to the death.  Thankfully, she saw something in me that made her stop.


Maybe she saw me hold my ground finally ... for the first time.  I didn't want to fight anyone ... much less someone I loved with my very Heart.  I was mistreated so badly ... but, they were my family and ... I still loved them with my Heart.  They were my family, regardless.  They were all I had.  I didn't want to fight ... but, they sure loved to.  They did.


Back then, anyone could just hit a child ... back then ... anyone could 'do anything to a child' ... whose parents didn't protect them.  I was one of those children.  I had to fight to survive ... I didn't want to ... all the kids fought, all the adults fought ... I lived in Hell ... and Hell-raising was the way of life.


Through time as a teen-ager it seemed every once in a while I'd see a big-ass, blonde-headed woman ... for some reason that type of women instinctively hated me ... and I'd think 'oh no, just watch her beam in on me and try to force me to do something, or want to push me around'.  Sure enough, it would happen time after time.  No matter how nice I tried to be, how I tried to just not get in a confrontation ... it would happen.


Have you always had that 'one type of person' who never liked you no matter what you did ... they always look alike.  I wonder if it has something to do with karma in your past life ... I smile here, but ... it's just too strange.


I was always afraid (they were always bigger than me) ... I knew they would tear me apart.  I could see the hate in their eyes and sense they wanted to hurt me.  I never knew why ... I got tired of being abused and I began to bluff them.


I would hold myself straight, put Hell in my eyes and meet them head-on ... I would pray they wouldn't kill me.  Even if I was afraid ... my attitude was that 'I'd rather die, go to Hell ... than to have them push over me, treat me badly'.  I meant it ... the rage would make me so angry at seeing yet another big-ass, blonde-headed woman who wanted to push me around.


When I began to do that ... it seemed they would become afraid of me!  I was tiny ... they were so big, mean.  The thing was when they looked into my eyes they saw something that let them know it wasn't going to be just simple bullying me.  I was prepared to die first.


That's what happens to a child when thrown into a mean-ass world ... they are either going to fight like Hell or they are going to be hurt mentally, physically.  I got my share before I reached the point I couldn't take anymore pain like that.  I had to get big enough to hold my ground.


I was a loving, caring child before I was dumped into Hell.  After that ... I began to have a 'chip' on my shoulder the older I got.  That 'chip' lasted into my twenties as I matured, coped with all I'd been through.  I always tried to help myself to think in a positive way ... I didn't want bad things around me.


The last time a big-ass ... blonde-headed woman tried to bully me physically ... I 'fixed her ass'.  I give people 3 chances (unless I can't for a reason) to realize I'm not going to take their abuse ... then, all Hell's going to break loose.  The number 3 plays a big role in my life ... you wouldn't believe.


No, I don't walk around trying to be a ... bad-ass ... I'm a soft, good, kind person ... caring.  Even the nicest person has limits ... I have mine.


This big-ass, blonde-headed woman was always with her friends.  She loved to show off in front of them ... she was a ... bad-ass.  Whenever she saw me ... she would smile.  She knew she could use me to show off to her friends ... she was so mean to me.  I was always nice to her.  She was so much bigger than I ... I knew she could kick my ass ... tear me to pieces.


She would walk to meet me so, she could hit me hard on my shoulder, pretending to be nice while using a honey-sweet voice.  Oh, that woman would shove-hit my shoulder so hard that I would almost cry out.  I would almost go to the floor.  She would say in her honey-sweet voice, all the while knowing what she'd just done to me ... "hello Gloria, how are you!"


She never knew she was riling me up ... making a white-hot rage build up in me.  I would smile back at her, tears in my eyes, and speak softly to her, and say ... "hello, Virginia".  She'd laugh so big, go back to her friends ... they would all laugh their asses off at me.  I would feel so bad ... and my shoulder would hurt from her abuse.


The second time it happened ... I saw her beaming in on me ... grinning.  Oh, how she loved intimidating me ... she laughed so hard.  She made me go to the floor the second time she came down on my shoulder.  I got up ... smiled at her and walked on.  The fire was burning brightly in my soul ... and I knew the next time ... all Hell was going to break loose.


The third time, I waited for her to come hurt me again ... of course, she was so eager to. She did, went back to sit at the table with her friends to laugh, talk loudly.  I took a deep breath knowing I was some kind of angry ... I knew I might just die for what I was going to do ... but, it had turned into an 'either live or die' situation to me.  I wasn't going to take anymore of her ........!

I walked calmly across that floor ... beaming in on her.  I began smiling big ... some of the women smiled at me.  Old Virginia turned her head to look, saw me.


I went straight up to her, and said 'hello, Virginia!' took my right hand and shoved, hit her hard on left shoulder. I mean I hit 'harder than hard' ... and I meant every bit of it.  I wanted to hurt her back.


The force knocked her out of her chair ... her smug expression disappeared.  She got up ... and I knew I was getting ready to die.  I faced her down ready to do battle ... I was amazed that she smiled, spoke to me in a normal voice.  She sat back down, pretended she was talking about something.  I walked on ... I saw people look at me differently.


They had mistakened my kindness as a weakness.  They just didn't know I didn't live at my Grandma Alma's for nothing ... I didn't live in Hell and not know how to Hell-raise.


I just didn't want to have to be ugly ... that's why the number 3 is important ... it's my hope that I'm left alone ... because the number 3 is just before ... Hell breaks out.








Note by this Author:




True story, photos are written ... owned by me ... Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee.


The number 3 has always been a significant number in my life ... it's the number just before Hell breaks out.  It's strange how the number 3 was the number of years I fought cancer ... and other important things in my life.


Someone triggered this past memory today ... when they tried to intimidate me.  I tried to stay nice ... I did stay nice.  It went no farther than ... number 2.

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It Was I ...

It Was I ...
By #Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee/@GeeGranny on Twitter

I could hear the arguing before I moved in close to see what was happening.  Under the night light I could see a big, overgrown boy ... really a man ... bullying a young, thin boy.


I cocked my head to my right shoulder.  This would bear watching.  I had no tolerance for bullies.  None at all.


Listening closely, eyes half closed ... I caught the gist of their conversation.  The big guy was threatening the young boy.  He would cut his head off, throw his body into the deep ditch close by.


The young boy was terrified.  His voice shook as he tried to make the big guy understand ... he had no money on him.  See?  He pulled his empty pockets out toward the bully.


I held my head up to watch with interest to what happened next.  The bully stood there.  Oh, he was angry.  He grabbed the little guy up, slung him against the nearby brick wall.  You little son of a b__!


The little guy began to moan.  He tried to lift himself from the ground.  He couldn't.  All his wind had been knocked out of him.  I began to move closer ... no one knew I was there.  It wouldn't have mattered anyway.


The big guy lifted his big boot up to stomp the poor guy into the ground.  The little guy sobbed, he knew he wasn't any match against the bully.  He was going to die this very moment, never see his mama again.  He closed his eyes.


The boot began to come down hard ... before it made contact ... the bully fell to the ground.  He began wiping blood from the back of his head.  He looked around with dazed eyes to see what had hit him.  He'd kill the son of a b___ who did this!


I grinned.  I loved this part.  Normally I would have never given him a second chance.  Besides, the bastard needed to feel the pain, fear he'd been causing to others for some time.  I wanted him to hurt, bleed.  Oh the things I'd been hearing.  The only thing ... was he'd never get the chance to change, learn from his lesson.


The bully stood up, he wanted to kick someone's ass.  He couldn't see anyone.  What had hit him in the back of the head?  Blood soaked the back of his tee shirt.  It felt cold in the night air.


He began cursing.  Come out you mother f____!  Chicken s___ son of a b___!  Damn coward!


I looked toward the little guy.  He sat on the ground, he never ran away when he had the chance.  He was like a deer in headlights ... he couldn't move.


I slipped around in the darkness to be closer to him.  I knew the bully would get his attention on him once he couldn't find, see what had struck him from the darkness.   I stayed inside the shadows, kept the steel sword hidden inside my black cloak.  I didn't want light to glint off it.


The bully's attention was drawn to the boy sitting on the ground.  I watched as the bully came toward the boy.  Just try touching this child, I thought.  I smiled ... it never reached my eyes.  My hand tightened on the sword hidden beneath my cloak.


You little son of a b__!  Get the f___ up!  I'm going to crush you into kingdom come!  The boy drew nearer to the brick wall, using his feet to push his butt along the ground.  He wasn't going to stand up.


Ah-hhhhhhhhhhh!  My man!  The boy was situated just right for me to protect him.  I wanted the bully to take a few more steps ... I was tired of this.  I didn't want to play with him anymore.  He didn't deserve to see how anything felt.


The boy was sobbing, his hand in his mouth.  Neither could see me ... I stood not more than 3 feet from them.  I was the darkness ... the killing kind.  No one ever saw, heard me coming.  No one saw me unless I wanted them to.  I saw no need for anyone to see me now.


The bully went in for the kill ... he began hitting the child in the head.  He jerked the little body from the ground when ... he straightened up, back arched.  His hand reached behind him for his back.


His hand was bloodied.  I knew he was in pain.  My sword struck him in the fleshy part of his side.  I didn't let it go deep ... not just yet.  Now, the bully was mad.


Gutteral sounds was coming from his mouth ... this was one mad mother f____!  This time nothing would stop him from killing the child.  I smiled ...


As he grabbed the young boy up once again ... the bully's head fell from his shoulders onto the ground.  His hands gradually let go of the boy.  This time the little boy fled.  He was out of sight in only a moment.


I could see the head laying nearby.  It was a few feet from its body.  The eyes were staring toward me ... I stepped out into the night light ... it didn't matter, his eyes couldn't see me now.

I enjoyed the night light for a moment before entering the darkness.  Darkness was safety ... it was time for me to spread around making shadows darker with my presence.  You won't know I'm there as I watch over you ... protect you.

In the blink of an eye I can strike to save a life.  Look at the darkness around you ... have you been saved from something, you know not what?  It was I.





Note by this Author:

Photo/short, fiction (thriller) story owned/written by Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee.

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BULLYING... I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!

BULLYING... I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!

BY GLORIA FAYE BROWN BATES/AKA GRANNY GEE

I was walking from my job to the breakroom dreading what I knew was going to happen. Every day it happened if Virginia was in the breakroom. She loved to make herself look good in front of her friends. I was the butt of their joke because... I never said anything and let it go on for 3 times... plus.

I had left the mountains to come home to my mother's. I went to work in a hoisery mill only a mile away from where she lived. I was glad to be so close to home. I'd never really worked at a job, I never had to. I was curious to how 'so many' pairs of stockings could be made at one time!

I saw people I never liked on that job... I remembered how some of them abused me mentally as a child when I lived there, how they looked down on me 'then'. No one could look down on me or push me around 'now'. But... there was one woman who must have still thought of me as she did when I was young... she thought she could bully me. She didn't know................

I was in my early twenties, a pretty young lady with a big smile. I liked everybody.... or so, I thought I did. Until I met up with.... Virginia. I remembered her when I was a young child... her husband had done something he shouldn't have, he was old enough to know better. They were older than I... when he did what he did..... I was 12 years old.

I lived with my mother in an apartment in town when she met Virginia and Wayne... both were extraordinary good-looking. They were a married couple living next to us in that apartment house. We 'heard' them fighting constantly, making love just as often. They were ...loud people.

This is awful.. I know. But... my little cousins... who lived with us at that time... and I..... had been told we could hear things in the next room 'if we would place a glass on the wall and put our ear on it'.

It works! We put a glass on the wall to hear old Wayne and Virginia when they were loud one day... sure enough, we heard them good! That bed was making alot of noise, and so were they! We made alot of noise..... giggling!

I know this is awful... but, children 'will do these things'! I was no exception. I wanted to know if that glass really worked. I think I'm embarassed thinking about it... at this moment! Yes, my face feels alittle too ..... warm.... :))))))))

Wayne came over one day to look at the furnace and mom asked me to take him something... I did. My memory of this is taking the wrench, or whatever tool it was he needed...... is that when I walked up to give it to him.... he began grinning at me, talking softly to me... and he put his hand on my breast. I left the room quickly... I never encountered Wayne again... alone. Men's hands... always reaching out.....

Not long after that ... Wayne and Virginia got into an awful fight... she stuck her arm through the glass window on the door when she hit it..... cutting her arm badly. The blood........ I never saw them again... they left the apartment. I never wondered about them again... nor cared.

Years later as a young woman in my twenties, I met up with her at the hoisery plant I went to work at. There she was... just as pretty as ever, tall and leggy, with a head of blonde hair and... blue eyes. I was just as pretty but, not as tall... my legs were a little shorter.... I had curly, blonde hair.... my eyes were ... green. :)))))

She saw me and recognized me. 'Hello Gloria'! she yelled. God, she was a loud-mouthed woman. I recognized her voice... just as loud as it was when I was a little girl. She was just as crude as she was... pretty.

When she got close to me, she would run up deliberately yelling 'hello Gloria!' and hit me on my shoulder with her hand. It would hurt badly, and I felt I would go to the floor. That was the 'first'.... time. I felt anger at her as I smiled brightly at her, and spoke quietly saying ...hello.

Oh, how she laughed and looked over to the table where her friends sat, laughing. I saw her wink at them. I filed that back in my mind... I 'saw' that she thought she was going to use me in the future for her laughs, to entertain her friends. Needless to say, but, I now....... 'had Virginia on my mind'.

'Hello Gloria'! It happened again... 'second time'. The pain in my shoulder was excruciating. She was enjoying inflicting pain on me and I would look bad if I said anything.... after all... 'wasn't she just so glad to see me'? Second time....

How her friends at that table laughed... they loved being entertained... old Virginia was their hero. I could see that they thought she 'was something'. They don't know me ... yet...... my shoulder was hurting something awful. I kept smiling.......

I was thinking that maybe Virginia didn't know 'really' that she was physically hurting me each time she hit me on my shoulder. All I had to do was close my eyes and 'study the whole picture' in my mind.

Yes, Virginia meant to inflict pain hoping to make me cower in front of her friends so, they could laugh.... 'Virgina, the Conqueror'. Only.. I didn't cower when she did that... and I 'stood up under that pain'. I kept .... smiling sweetly......

Not only did I stand up under that pain, I spoke in a very quiet, sweet voice saying 'hello Virginia'. I would look up at her... smiling. Smiling while my shoulder hurt.......... and my heart hurt... I didn't deserve to be treated like that.

I almost went to the floor days later... my shoulder was sore from the 'hello blows' Virginia had inflicted on me. 'Hello, Gloria'! She did it again... her friends laughed harder. This was the 'third time'............ usually with me.... the third time 'is it'......

'Hello Virginia'... I said softly back to her. I walked away to the vending machine to get a drink with ice. I stood there with my back to everyone... no one saw the tears and pain... humiliation in my eyes. I was being bullied... that's exactly what it was. 'Three times'... she knew what she was doing.... she didn't stop. I'm going to cry, I'm going to give old Virginia satisfaction if I don't 'get a hold of myself'.

I felt like crying, and almost did. My shoulder was very tender where she'd hit me 'now... 3 times' in the very same spot. I didn't want to have a public scene, I didn't want to be embarassed. I think it's trashy to 'fight in public, much less in private'.

But... sometimes......... one has to put an end to things............... I didn't break down crying when I stood there wanting to so badly. How I wanted to just give in to the tears that threatened. I felt my body stiffen up straight, my shoulders went back proudly, I held my head up... and began smiling... once again. I'll let her do it once again.... because she 'really might not mean to be hurting me'.

I saw her again... there she comes with her false bright smile, those big old teeth shining white! Boom! She's done it again... my shoulder was bruised now... the pain, oh my God... the pain. Tears did come into my eyes right in front of Virginia... I was right! I saw her love seeing my tears and she .... waited... for a reaction from me...

I .... began to smile, quietly I said 'hello Virginia', and walked on. I heard that laughter behind me coming from that same table. I noticed by now... everyone had begun to pay attention to what Virginia was doing to me.... they had frowns on their faces.

I smiled at them... too. All the while I was crying inside, I felt sick to my stomach, I 'knew now'.... I was going to 'kick her ass'! I had no choice but.... to stop the abuse.... that was the 'fourth time'. I let her get by 'more than 3 times'... to give her a chance... she wasn't going to stop. 'I made her look good' to her friends, but, I had noticed the other people in the breakroom... they didn't like it... I didn't like the pity I saw in their eyes.

They didn't know that I was capable of 'holding my ground'... I just didn't want to hurt anyone, I didn't want to be trashy, I only wanted peace around me... I could choose that now. I also, could choose to put a stop to this. I grew up being everyone's 'whipping post', I had no choice but, to put an end to this.

I dreaded the next day... I 'knew it was time'. I dreaded bringing attention to myself, I dreaded making everyone think I was trash because I was... going to hold my ground this time, and I was ready to 'whip Virginia's ass'.

I had had enough... she mistakened my smiles, my kindness, my soft voice.... for weakness... she didn't see that I genuinely wanted to be friends.... she didn't 'see' that I was tired of being 'kicked around'... she didn't see 'what was coming her way'.......

I walked into the doorway of that breakroom, and all eyes were on me.... waiting to see Virginia hurt me again, to see if I would have a reaction to it. They didn't have to wait long.............

I began to smile so brightly, nodding to everyone... my head was held high, my body strong and ready... 'to kick ass'. I felt like sunshine was shining on me, strengthening my soul, my mind and ...my body. I felt 'cold chills' on my skin... 'it was time'....

Old Virginia was sitting at that table with her happy friends... she looked up and saw me.... she began to get up... but, before she could get completely up.... I walked right over to her smiling so brightly... my teeth were shining so white and happy now...

I said loudly 'why hello Virginia'!!! I hit her on her shoulder as hard as I could ... the force knocked her backwards to the floor, she caught herself with her hands behind her.

I stepped back and I........... waited. I was going to kick her ass if she came toward me... if she beat me up or killed me... I was going down fighting! I was tired of it, I was sick and tired of it. I wasn't going to take any 'damn' more of it. Get up, Virginia!

I heard someone gasp, a little nervous laughter... and then... I heard some clapping! I didn't look to see, my attention was on that big, old Virginia. I was the one .... waiting now.

She rose up to her full height and looked down at me... I smiled brightly back up into her face.... only she could 'see in my eyes' that she'd made a bad mistake and that it was ending now'... either she could kill me on the spot... she was big enough to do that, beat me up or........ make peace. It didn't matter to me 'now'... I was ready to die... I was fed up. One way or the other... it was ending 'now'.

She quietly said 'hello Gloria'. I 'saw' respect in her eyes and when she smiled .... it was finally.... real. I wonder 'why' she couldn't have been like that in the first place? I smiled back at her... it was real. So was what I said to her...................

'Virginia, I know that must have hurt... I didn't mean to hurt your shoulder but, I was so glad to see you'! I smiled..................................

:)))))))))))