Page 12 of The Pacifist
“To be honest, I’m more afraid of inflicting pain on others.”
My comment made Neptune roll his eyes. “That’s ridiculous. If a guy provokes you, he’s fucking asking for pain and that means he deserves it.”
“Always?”
“Yes, always!”
I thought for a second to find a scenario that they would understand. “What if the man calling you out for looking at him just lost his best friend in another bar-fight? What if his aggressive tone is really just because everything inside him hurts? If you lost your best friend wouldn’t you be grieving?”
“Sure.”
“Would you still beat him up if he’s a decent guy who is full of sorrow and anger because of how much he misses his friend?”
Neptune wrinkled his brow. “Of course I would.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I wouldn’t know he was grieving, would I? I’d just see that he was being an ass.”
I inhaled and exhaled in long steadying sighs. “My point is that you never know what others are struggling with. Being mature and wise means being kind to others, even when they aren’t being kind to you.”
Mason and the two soldiers laughed like it was the stupidest thing they’d ever heard.
Kal-El pointed at me with a wide grin. “You’re hilarious.”
“Don’t you see that the best way to win a fight is to avoid having one?”
That only made them laugh louder.
Mila hooked her arm under my elbow and nudged me forward. “Come on, Jonah. I’m thirsty.”
We walked away in silence with me trying to see things from their perspective. “Sometimes being in the Northlands feels like I’ve traveled back in time.”
“Pearl says the same thing.”
“Why are they so attached to violence? It’s like they refuse to evolve.”
“It’s a matter of conditioning, I think.” Mila’s clear blue eyes were serious. “They fear failure more than pain.”
“Hmm… funny, when to me it would be a failure to cause others pain.”
“I know, but Jonah, they do have a point that we wouldn’t be able to defend ourselves in a fight.”
Stopping in my tracks, I looked down at her. “Mila, I’m twenty-five and I’ve never been in a fight. Like any other civilized man, I use my words rather than my body to argue a point.”
“Which is a good thing. I’m just not sure words will get you far here.”
I gave her a confident smile. “You’re wrong. Words are the strongest tool any man has. The right words can diffuse or escalate a situation. In the past, words have started and stopped wars, so never underestimate the power of words, Miss Sunshine.”
Mila began walking again. “You’re probably right, but I’m not as eloquent as you and Pearl. It’s a special gift you have.”
“I’m happy to teach you, unless you prefer the Nman version of crushing your enemies physically.” We shared an amused smile and Mila tightened her hold around my elbow.
“They tried to teach me how to fight when I was in school.”
“And?”
She gave me one of her charming laughs. “I was horrible at it. As soon as I hit my opponent, I would stop to ask if they were okay.”
