He Didn’t Like

When we were kids we used to joke that while she loved kids, he hated them. She was jolly, he was a jerk. She was exuberant. He was sour. We had names for him behind his back, maybe about his ears. I don’t remember. We were kids that had a gang of jokes all about him. I played along with the cruelty even though I knew better. Why is that? Last night kisa and I watched the Breakfast Club. Even though my husband swore it was a classic I was getting it confused with other Molly movies. I kept waiting for her to make a dress or something. At one point I was struck by how serious the “club’s” conversation had gotten. They were talking about whether or not they were truly friends and what would happen on Monday. Molly’s character brought up peer pressure and how, come Monday, they would all go back to the groups they knew and life as they knew it would carry on. Losers would still be losers. Geeks would still be geeks. Jocks would still be jocks.
I was that girl. I knew Mr Didn’t Like Kids was actually kind. Yet, we were mean. People would be surprised to know how kind. Still we were uncaring. It’s a secret I’ve kept and I don’t know why.