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Matt and his Reeboks I noticed Matt on the first day of class. I had decided on what is called a "second career" and at the age of thirty-five that meant returning to College. Of course, as I expected, I was the oldest one to arrive at class on that first morning, and although I thought nothing of it at the time, I remember a young student sitting directly in front of me turning to look at me and laughing. I now know that Matt was laughing because he thought it was funny that an older man was going to compete with recent high-school graduates. He thought I looked completely out of place, and he felt completely superior. Matt is a strikingly handsome man, nineteen years old and Hispanic. Because of the arrogance he learned from childhood it was easy for him to do nothing more than look at someone and make them feel like dirt under his feet. I have to admit that by the end of that first class, I was uncharacteristically feeling insecure, as though I was somehow inferior to him. At one point during a brief break, when the instructor had left the classroom, Matt turned his chair around, and put his feet up on top of my opened book. He smiled and asked: - “So, what the hell are you doing in this class?”... I explained that the class was one of the required courses for my major. Matt continued looking directly into my eyes. He was chewing a large wad of gum, which accented each of his comments with a kind of sinister arrogance. He tapped his feet together, “ aren’t you kind of old to be in school?” he asked Before I could make any response one of Matt’s friends (who was seated next to me) said: “Yeah, how fucking old are you anyway?”.... Both Matt and his friend laughed. I told them my age. Matt’s response was to shove my books onto the floor with the toe of his shoe. John and Matt laughed loudly and Matt chomped on his gum...”You’d better pick ‘em up, old man”, Matt said. I was immediately embarrassed. The entire class was looking at me, waiting to see if I was going to obey the young student. I leaned over slowly and reached down to grasp the textbook and papers. Just as I was about to touch them I saw Matt’s Reebok planted firmly on the open text. Leaning over, I looked up at him. He was just sitting there, looking down at me and continuing to chomp, open mouthed, on his wad of gum. He laughed and said: “Wha-da-ya-say, baldy?”...I broke out into a full sweat. Full story available for purchase. View/Purchase Books!
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