They kicked the back of his seat.

And insulted him, from behind.

My father sat in the Ellsworth Chamber, of a theater, and took the abuse.

"Brendan."

My father said to me one day,

"How would you like to take karate..?"

* * * * * * *

I said, "Yes!" and he was excited too.

Years later, after I reached my purple belt by the age of ten, and my father almost his black belt, he told me the story of why he wanted to take karate class with me.

"They were kicking the back of my seat, and making fun of me the whole movie."

I felt a sting as he told me the story.

And he said, "So I thought I'd better learn to fight, or how to kick someone's ass, or at least know how to, if that ever happens again. I want to be able to stand up to people." And my father laughed.

* * * * * * *

"But someone in this room has a black belt."

"And he looks just like Bruce Lee."

The entire karate class turned their heads in my general direction, and I just said very innocently, "Why is everyone looking at me..??"

* * * * * *

I had a sparring match, at green belt, with another student of my sensei.

He stood up, raised his fists.

I stood, and didn't move or raise a single hand.

But I was ready.

He said, "Sigh. I can't fight him."

* * * * * * *

"And he doesn't need to take another lesson."

"Because he already has a black belt."

Sensei Tracy walked over, and suddenly I was handed a purple belt.

I didn't do a single move, or work at all to get it.

* * * * * * *

After I took karate class, people treated both me and my dad differently.

They challenged me to verbal matches, but no one tried to test me physically.

Bullies couldn't stand up to me.

I lifted weights when I was a teenager, and I never let go of my desire to fight, or stand up for myself.

* * * * * * *

One day, during the beginning of the Corona pandemic, I went to see a movie with my mom.

A woman who I swear "appeared to be a witch" was making fun of me from behind my seat.

She somehow was observing my use of my phone, and I went off, and smoked a little weed behind the theater, and when I got back, I rudely said out loud, "This place sucks" and we left the theater together.

I screamed on the car-ride home, and said I think Bar Harbor is a piece of shit heretic town.


-Brendan Lee Sprague