No heroics
I had a relatively bully-free schooling, but my problems started in adulthood.

Local cricket club is my 2nd home & I was regularly bullied by one person during my 20s & 30s.

Only ever after 10.30pm though, once enough ale had been sunk for him to get into one of his black moods. He chose his targets carefully, only people he knew wouldn't fight back, 60 year old blokes & the like.

I reckon there are three personalities when drunk

1) Daft as a brush
2) Sleepy
3) Violent

Yer man regularly fell into category 3

I haven't had any violent physical contact with another human being for 30 years now, a stat of which I am quite proud, but one of the reasons is my shy & timid nature, I avoid confrontation whenever possible.

In this situation avoidance wasn't possible, he had decided I was a cunt & responsible for everything he saw as wrong within the club. I tried to reason with him (pointless really) but there was no talking sense to a man in a drink-induced rage.
He always seemingly hovered on the edge of physical violence, but never actually had a pop at me, maybe because I'm a big bloke. It didn't stop him with other people on other occasions. The verbal abuse was awful though, a genuine attempt to make me feel like my username as a human being.
The next time we met, nothing had occurred, everything was fine. Until the next time. This happened seemingly at random, so it wasn't possible to predict danger & get out of the way, unless I avoided the place altogether, which wasn't going to happen. The number of incidents probably numbers over 20.

It is at this point in the story where I should tell of you my epiphany, the moment things changed & I discovered the solution.

But I can't, I told you I'm a gutless fucker when it comes to confrontation. You put it down to the drink talking & move on. I even bought my house from him.

Fortunately for me he no longer frequents the place.

He holds a unique position in humanity for me. The only person in the world I truly hate.
(Worthless wishes he had the brains of a pigeon, Fri 15 May 2009, 11:47, Reply)