I feel the need to share an ancient story of either bravery or foolhardiness, depending on one's perspective. It occurred twenty years ago, when I was a young Sophomore studying at University.
I, along with a friend on mine by the name of Mean Dave, were returning to our dormitory. As we both rounded the corner, we came upon a drunken British exchange student perched upon a balcony overlooking the entrance. He had taken to launching firecrackers at anyone who was unlucky enough to happen by, as my friend and I both were.
As it turned out, I could have had no better an ally by my side than Mean Dave, who was in training at the campus ROTC. "Hey man, watch where you're aiming those!" I shouted from below. With a hideous glint in his eye, the young British man launched his next volley directly at us, missing by a few feet.
"Watch it you asshole!" Mean Dave shouted back. "Come on Dave, let's go get him!" I said, and the two of us raced through the entrance and up the stairs.
I reached the balcony first, only to find it abandoned by our quarry. In hindsight, I should have waited for my friend, but instead I continued the hunt, racing back downstairs to the emergency exit.
I rounded one more corner and there he was, but surrounded by ten of his friends. "What do you want?" one of them asked. Realizing how outmanned I was, I suddenly had to switch to diplomacy mode.
"Oh, nothing really," I said. "Then what are you doing out here?" another one of them asked. "Just making sure everything is alright" I replied.
And with that, the situation was mostly de-escalated. I bid my would-be foes farewell, and then sauntered back inside, while the small gang who had confronted me slowly dispersed.
Within a few days, the British man who had tried to harm me sought me out, and offered his apologies for his actions, which I accepted. To this day though I often wonder how differently our encounter might have turned out if I or others involved had made different decisions. I suppose I'll never know though.
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