Eliot School Playground

By Victor Passacantilli

I can easily recall a similar fist fight when I was 14 years old. It was in the Eliot School playground on Charter Street. I can’t remember the reason for the confrontation but it was with a friend and possibly because he was better at what we were doing. If I was not better than you, I became ashamed and embarrassed.I was the quintessential sore loser. A devastating character flaw which afforded me much pain as a youngster. We squared off, traded some punches when suddenly I dropped my fists and extended my hand to my opponent which he accepted. A cowardly act, but I convinced myself that getting punched in the face wasn’t worth it…until the next time!