Getting Hit Because You're a Failure

Sitting under the tree, just gazing off aimlessly in the distance, I was hit by a small, undersized football. Taking it in stride, I picked up the ball and looked around.

Sure enough, a friend of mine stood there, a ways off, grinning. I just smiled and tossed the ball back to him. We started a game of catch, with me just happily sitting there, returning his throws.

In the middle of this, a girl sitting next to me took notice of our game.

“Do you always throw with your right hand?”

”Yeah, I guess so,” I responded.

”I’m right handed, but I learned how to throw with my left arm.”

”Oh, that’s interesting,” I throw the ball off again to my yelling comrade. “I should try it with my other arm.”

I got the ball back, and was putting my left-hand fingers over the laces. “I don’t know, I think when I throw with my left, it gets all wanky,” I regrettably said. Sure enough, I threw a rather wobbly shot, and the receiver had to run to pick it up. She laughed a bit, but it wasn’t with bad intention.

The ball came back to me, and I returned to using my right arm. The small talk continued until one pass, when my friend went out real far. Between us was a line of people, and a short chain link fence. I shrugged, wound up, and threw as hard as I could. It wasn’t hard enough.

I hit a guy standing in the line, squarely in the face. The reaction I got was not the first I’d expect. Of course there was first a moment of shock, but instead of turning to anger, I could see his eyes watering, and his face contorting into a frown.

Even though I hated leaving my seat under the tree, I separated myself from the conversation, and ran over to the victim of my throw. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you, it was an accident.”

He was just sobbing and sobbing, I didn’t know what was wrong, why he was so down.

”Are you okay? I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to hit you,” I pleaded again.

He just looked at me with mournful eyes and choked out, “No, its not you’re fault, I just get hit because I’m a failure.”

I didn’t know how to respond.

Not based on cognizant events.