Aunt Doris’ wedding photo. (ca. 1946)
When I was just a teenager, my mother and I moved from Kensington to Notting Hill in London. (Yes, the same Notting Hill as the Julia Roberts movie.) Mom had bought a small candy shop in a residential area; Apart from a nearby corner cafe, there were few other businesses in the area.
It turns out that our new neighborhood also had its own local bully. Everyone quickly moved aside and the store owners were afraid to see him. He stuck his head through the doorway, threw eggs or trash, shouted a few obscenities and then ran away.
His name was Billy ‘Obbs and he was maybe ten years old.
There was no point in complaining to his parents; they were as likely to spit in your eyes as to talk to you. Even the local police were wary of him. At that time they patrolled the streets on bicycles. Billy suddenly appeared, shouted a few curse words at them and then threw sticks at the wheels. By the time Bobby recovered, Billy was long gone.
Billy often hid in vans, dropped himself off in another neighborhood and then pretended to be a lost child so he could get ice cream and candy until the police were alerted and took him home.
One day my mother (a little Irish lady) said, I’ve had it with Billy ‘Obbs!
Knowing he was nearby, she hid in her shop, behind the door. When he stuck his head in, she grabbed him by the collar and said, Billy, if you treat me right, I’ll treat you right. But if you pull a trick, I’ll come after you and beat you to pieces! (There was no such thing as political correctness at that time.)
Well, Billy knew he had met his match. From then on he treated my mother with respect, even ran a few errands and brought back the change!
He still bullied the rest of the neighborhood.
Finally, after setting a few fires, Billy was finally arrested and sent to a krabal – a prison for wayward boys – and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
But not for long. That’s because we soon had to deal with a much more evil bully: Adolf Hitler. (My daughter-in-law once told me it was a shame my mother hadn’t met Hitler!)
Anyway, a few years later, when I was living in the US, my mother wrote to tell me that Billy ‘Obbs had come over to visit her and that he had turned into a nice young man!
Today, when I look The Simpsons on television and when I see Bart I think of Billy Hobbs.
When it came to raising children, my mother always said, “You don’t have to be cruel, you just have to be firm.”
She also always said, “Never break a promise, whether it’s a slap or a gift.”
Actually, I was a little scared of my mother!
I love you all,
Aunt Doris
#thoughts #Aunt #Doris #neighborhood #bully