On Three

Tommy Maddox was six feet tall in the Seventh Grade. It confused him: he was big and strong, both good, but because he stood out, he was self-conscious, and that wasn't at all good.

Tommy was also the first child. What a burden for a soul that wants independence, because everyone expected obedience and positive example setting. His frustration led him to oppress his younger siblings. So much that Tommy became MASTER Thomas, aka Scourge-Bully.

No one who's had a bully for a big brother has to be reminded of a tyrant's methods: they all have a common denominator, oppress. Tommy Maddox's version was to bully arbitrarily. Because this kept his siblings off-guard, it satisfied a double projection to his frustration.

His victims, Larry and Joan, were two and three years younger, respectively. When the parents weren't looking, Tommy would thump, monkey-bump, zing-crack, or simply intimidate them bySTARING.And, typically, the more the parents expected of their oldest son, the more he worked his siblings.

But in the course of family squabbles throughout the millennia, Nature has not put all the cards in the hands of the oppressor. She has dealt to the downtrodden a few jokers and wild cards, such as cunning, strategy, and teamwork. And when this particular ten and nine year-old had been put upon beyond endurance, the two used their acute sensitivity to communicate just how and when to strike: it was almost telepathic.

Once, after Tommy had received a B-minus on his report card with the revealing comment, "He could apply himself more constructively in class," Jerry and Helen came down especially hard. He was grounded for two weeks and had to show them his completed homework every night. Always appearing the dutiful son, Tommy did as he was told. But when Mr. and Mrs. Maddox weren't looking, he focused on Larry and Joan -- the full two weeks.

One of Tommy's weekly duties was to mop the kitchen floor. The standard, household consequence for not fulfilling a duty was being grounded for a week. And so to get even for the 'report card thumping', the younger siblings hid the mop. Naturally, Larry and Joan whisked it into the closet just as Dad and Mom drove up the driveway. No matter how valiantly Tommy dashed with a wet dust mop and pled his case, the verdict stood.

"A bad excuse is worse than no excuse," came Father's response.

Larry and Joan knew that laws and principles do not apply only to bully brothers: Tommy was bound to reciprocate, quickly and with a vengeance. So the younger siblings told their parents that since they'd done their duties, couldn't they go to the movie, please? So while Tommy was hottest, his victims were gone, and he'd cooled somewhat by the time they returned. they were safe for the moment, but every family member knows that there's a built-in balancing mechanism. If something happens now, then another thingwillfollow. And, maybe, when you least expect it. Larry and Joan were on edge.

And so it went those early years as the three Maddox children became teenagers: action here, reaction there; thump here, clever plot there; frustration here, retaliation there. In time, each won in his own way only to lose in another, a perfect example of history repeating itself.

The summer Tommy turned fifteen was a notable. Now with a motor scooter paid for by his job at the roller rink, the six foot three-inch athlete was full of ideas of freedom for the summer months. Whizzing around the Country Club, racing around the Dairy Queen, vacation promised to be eventful. And eventful it was, though not full of the expected freedom and independence. For just like all of us when we get a new toy, we inadvertently let our daily responsibilities slip. Tommy forgot to mow the lawn. And we know what that meant. And what better leverage to apply now that the teenager had a scooter? So young Tommy Maddox was obliged to leave the vehicle in the garage for a full week, and during the 4th of July weekend, too.

That meant, of course, that Larry and Joan were doubly alert: they knew what was coming. So the two did all they could to prevent the storm, but no matter how clever they were, how scarce they made themselves, inevitably as thunder follows lightning and smoke precedes fire, the siblings experienced Tommy's projection.

"Too much!" wailed Larry as he messaged his arm. "Why can't he take

out his frustrations on a real punching bag?"

"I'm telling Dad," shrieked Joan, as she babied her yanked braids.

"Like that'll do a lot of good. I'm afraid we're going to have to deal with this by ourselves and in our own way."

And so the two did what young siblings have done from time immemorial: they strategized. They knew what they were doing: the best way to avenge a wrong was to strike where it hurt most. In their brother's case, with the very vehicle that brought the week-long grounding. And since they had been treated unjustly, they felt justified in doing something equally mean: they put water in the gas tank.

The two culprits hoped that Scourge-Bully would think that condensation had formed from lack of use so they wouldn't be suspect. They were right: Tommy was so distraught that he concentrated on getting Spitfire working and didn't even think the coughing was due to sabotage.

Time marched on and so did Thomas Maddox's likes. At seventeen he was head over heals in love with Gracie. To keep in the good light of his parents so he could have his freedom to be with his beloved, he would have done every choreearly. But isn't that the very time we are most susceptible?

The axe fell when Tommy was so eager to see his girlfriend that he dashed out forgetting to take the trash out. Because it was a weeknight, he was grounded only a weekend. But a weekend without his beloved!

Larry and Joan were fifteen and fourteen and had extra-curricular activities of their own, so it was easier to stay out of the raging bull's way than before. But when Tommy's torment built to volcanic heights, avalanche depths, Tsunami force, all the younger siblings had to do was be seen in order for the wrath to descend. Larry and Joan's fates were sealed: it was just a matter of time.

And descend it did. But we don't need to dwell on the details. That they were bad enough to elicit the inevitable scream of outrage is enough.

"This time he's gone too far!" said Larry.

And Joan amended, "I think it's time we taught him a lesson, one he'll never forget."

Neither Larry nor Joan were hounds from hell: they were driven by survival. Their hope was thatthisretaliation might convince the oppressor to leave them aloneforever. Unrealistic, but the younger siblingswereromantics. In their immature minds, they felt that if a great

injustice has been done, what is needed to set things straight is not just revenge butsuperrevenge. Also, it must be supremely well thought out. And it must be long-term and absolute.

Larry and Joan realized that the best time to strike required waiting and hoping. When the time is right, their revenge would be most effective just as the reward would certainly be greatest. It was all a matter of time.

When the siblings heard that Dad wanted to take Tommy fishing to get his mind off Gracie, a compassionate, in-boat grounding, the two sensed Larry and Joan's time had come. So they volunteered to row. Thatshouldhave been a Great Clue for Tommy. But Tommy was too far gone to see the set-up and itwasa set-up. A perfectly natural-looking situation yet completely contrived and premeditated. This time the two would get that bullyfor once and for all.

The plan was based on the knowledge that Dad loved to fish from the front of the boat. With the conspirators cheek to cheek on the middle, rowing seat, it meant the victim could stand only in the back of the boat, exactly where Larry and Joan wanted him. The two also knew that their father loved to fish while sitting down, while Big Brother preferred standing. It was perfect. Ideal. It simply couldn't have been better.

As any discerning reader can guess, the oppressed siblings simply had to remain patient until their father unknowingly gave them the clue to strike.

"Over there, kids, by that still water. Now, pull together, you two, and hard."

Could anyone have asked for more? Especially since the rowboat had no motor so the transom was clear?

"On three ... "