big_damn_quests | Round 2, Challenge 1: Badger (Reply)

Title: Respect
Author: rabid_x
Character: Badger
Rating: PG
Challenge: Who did you look up to most as a child, and why? Do you still admire them?
Word Count: 381

There weren't too many people around here to look up to. Most of them were slick and sly with their hand, if you properly catch my meanin’. Some folks think the poor look up to the rich. Well I don’t mind tellin’ you that I envied their big houses an’ flash clothes, oh an’ their money too. Can’t forget the money.

There was this bloke from my borough o’the slums, thin wisp of a lad. You would’ve thought a good breeze would blow him arse over tit. Charles Parker was his name, Charlie his handle. His old man named him after some dead musician from Earth That Was. Ancient name, had a bit of class to it. He was sly in a whole ‘nother way from handy mind you. Always kept himself neat as a pin. Never really got why. Rest of us just rolled around in the dirt like kids do.

Little Charlie used to get teased damn near every day by bigger, tougher lads. They’d beat him up, mess up his clothes and send him packin’ home. Big Paul’d do worse, things none of us could stop even if we’d tried. Charlie stopped cryin’ after a while. Got a right cold look in his eyes. Next thing any of us knew, little Charlie had himself a knife an’ Big Paul ended up with one less marble to play with. Shouldn’ta tried to stick it to Charlie.

A couple of days later an’ Charlie had himself a flash villain by the name of Baron by the shorties. Baron doted on Charlie, dandled him on one knee right on the front porch of the gaming hall. Big Paul’s crew up and slunk off into the night pretty soon after that - or so people say. All I know is, by the time Charlie was fifteen, he was set for life. All the fancy clothes, dosh an’ food a body could want. Turned out to be a fair hand at making other people’s credits his too.

Charlie see, he got respect outta people who’d rather spit in his eye - all by takin’ the right chance an’ not lettin’ anyone get away with disrespectin’ him. At least not once he knew where t’hurt ‘em. I can always respect a body like that.