What it feels like to take a sucker punch to the face by a large tanned man
Been thinking about Snooks.
I got cold-clocked in the face by an overheated, muscly, swarthy stranger when I was 16. There is a FANTASTIC story behind but that’s an IRL sort of affair (filled with elaborate pantomiming and lurid examples of suburban-spawned vandalism). The punch which was delivered rapidly and close fisted split my lip. But have you ever been socked in the face? It is very distinct pain.
*The BIFF! POW! BAM! BOFFO! bursts of light happen upon contact. There are starbursts
*It feels like the section of your face that got hit is permanently indented. You will immediately touch your face not to alleviate pain but to make sure that there is not a concave hole. This crumpled bone feeling wears off after about 3 mins. But it really feels like your cheek has collapsed in on itself. Like rubble.
*There’s an near instant swell. You feel all the microscopic blood cells and histamines and blood clot and clog under your skin. This stays around for a long time.
*There is no satisfying thud to it. It’s sharp and disorienting. I had so much adrenline going through my body that my first reaction was like “WHAT? YOU JUST HIT A GIRL?!” and then the next feeling was feeling my balance go sideways. I believe this has something to do with ear fluid.
*And then you look over and see your teenage vegan boyfriend is crying and about to piss his pants. Then there’s a mixture of terror and shame knowing that you could probably throw punch harder than he could (miss you, babee).
ANYWAYS. I feel for Snooks. It is such a shocking thing to experience that all you can do is freeze and look around for some one to explain to you what just happened.
This is a perfect description of what it’s like to get punched in the face, though the first thought that went through my Cro Magnon brain was “ARGH NOW I HIT YOU IN FACE TOO!” And so it goes.
