Bad Day

Whoa. I knew that look. Someone just had a super-bad day. The question was...was he going to be willing to talk about it?
Roc had just walked in the door and his whole demeanor was sunken; his eyes, his face, even his walk.
"Hey! How was your day?" I was home before him for a change, and had been excited to see him. I tried to give him a hug, but it was like embracing a wall of hurt.
"Rotten." He shook his head. "I am never going to fit in there." The dog was demanding his attention, so I let him bury his face in her fur for a minute. I decided to tread lightly.
"Wanna tell me what happened?" It seemed like every day there was something new, some new challenge, and I was fraught with helplessness, trying desperately to not overreact.
"Yeah, I'll tell you." He began spitting out the words. "Today we had the gym instructor who seems to think we're all training for the NYC Marathon. You know the one who is a royal pain in the ass, who just loves to make us run and run and then run some more?!"
I nodded encouragement.
"So I thought we were done. We seemed done, and then, just as I was wheezing my ass off, she calls 'Reverse!' We had to reverse the circle and run MORE in the opposite direction. I couldn't believe it! I just couldn't do it. I tried like hell, but eventually I dropped out of the run. I just couldn't push anymore. She made me go into the middle of the circle and do push-ups 'til I dropped. She yelled at me, and then made everyone run more. But that wasn't the worst part."
I was afraid to ask.
"By the time we got into the locker room, I was spent. You know how it is...well, I told you...the lockers are so damn tight and all I wanted to do was get changed and go home when this little bastard Hank comes up to me. He punches a locker to get my attention and then looks me in the eye and says, "Thanks, DICK, you made me miss my train."
Oh.
Oh God, Oh God, Oh Dear God. I felt like I think a Mom might feel when her kid gets made fun of on the sports field.
"And I just can't do this anymore." He slumped down now, the fight gone out of him. The dog rolled over on her back and he proceeded to give her a belly rub.