July 23 They Tried And Failed To Ruin Our Day

It's a heavenly day. Therese suggests we take a tour bus up to the peak of Mt. Geisberg where we'd seen hang gliders floating the day before. We'll enjoy the view, and hike back down on our own. That's the plan, but an unexpected evil is awaiting us.

On the city bus to the base of the mountain, two men are sitting behind us. They start muttering something about us and snickering. I can't understand them, but Therese does. As both we and they get off the bus, Therese tells me in English that they'd been making fun of her appearance. I debate whether to approach them and tell them off, but Therese, reading my mind and ever the wiser one, stops me. They just want attention. Don't give it to them. They're not worth it.

Unfortunately, this is not the end of it. We walk to where we'll catch the tour bus that takes us to the peak, which comes in 30 minutes. When we turn around, we see that the men have followed us. They get right in our faces. Grinning stupidly, Jerk #1 says, "Do you speak English?" They must have heard us talking as we deboarded.

"What's that to you?" I snap back.

They proceed to mock us to our faces, making obscene gestures and cussing us out in ridiculously broken English, using whatever words they'd picked up from bathroom stall walls. We yell back, using more grammatically complex constructions than they can apparently understand, for they just talk over us, ignoring everything we say and simply repeating their six-word cycle of insults. Cornelia, Vanessa and Bettina are cowed behind us.

I am on the verge of snapping. Every nerve in my body wants to lash out. Jerk #1 is within easy range. I could land a hard punch before he knows it, perhaps hard enough to take him out, dropping the ratio to 1-to-1, where I might have even chances, provided Jerk #2 is not armed, and is not a habitual street brawler, which I certainly am not. That's a lot of if's, and I don't dare risk it, not with our kids presenting such easy targets. If I get entangled with one, the other one could go after them.

And so Therese and I stand there and ignore them, praying they'll just get bored and leave. They eventually do. They swagger away, giving one other a congratulatory high-five, clearly proud of themselves for having successfully terrorized a family with young children.

Thankfully the kids were not phased, as they understood too little, and they play at the nearby playground until the bus comes. Therese and I console each other, reflecting that we will have a better day, a better year and a better life than either of those two men. Who will they cuddle with tonight? What hope do they ever have for satisfying careers like the ones we enjoy? Who will care about them enough to visit them when they're old, or even mourn their passing? How many accomplishments, joys and deep friendships can they look upon with fondness and satisfaction, as Therese and I do in abundance? Even if they find a woman desperate enough to marry them, when will their kids ever say to their friends with pride, "That's MY dad! He's the best!" Victory is ours. It was ours before they ever saw us.

As if to spite them, the ride up the mountain and the panoramic views from the peak are breathtaking, like nothing the girls or I have ever seen. Those two men, now still at the bottom, tried to ruin our day, but in this they have failed. God is good, and the beauty of God's creation shines all around.