A young man recounts his experiences with gang culture in Chicago, where he admired gangsters and pimps for their perceived coolness. He describes his attempts to fit in and be accepted by participating in fights, despite not being naturally inclined to violence. His first two fights end in embarrassing defeats, leading his cousin, a gang member, to advise him that the gangster life is not for him. Despite this, he remains determined to prove himself, leading to further humorous and painful encounters. Ultimately, his actions inadvertently defuse a gang confrontation, highlighting the absurdity of violence and his own misplaced aspirations.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator grew up in Chicago.
2. The narrator looked up to gangsters as a kid.
3. The narrator had a cousin who was involved with gangsters.
4. The narrator got into a fight with a man in his neighborhood when he was 14 years old.
5. The man hit the narrator in the throat.
6. The narrator's cousin was embarrassed by the fight and took the narrator home.
7. The narrator decided to learn how to fight to redeem himself.
8. The narrator practiced fighting by watching Bruce Lee videos and boxing with friends.
9. A year later, the narrator's cousin asked him to join a fight with another group of people.
10. The narrator agreed and went to an open field to fight.
11. The opposing group had 20 people, and the narrator's group had 7 people.
12. The narrator ran up to the opposing group's leader and punched him in the chin.
13. The narrator got hit by multiple people at the same time and fell to the ground.
14. The narrator was knocked out for 30-40 seconds.
15. When the narrator woke up, he saw that nobody was fighting, and everyone was laughing at him.
16. The opposing group's leader suggested that they forget about the fight and go get food instead.
17. The narrator's group and the opposing group decided to put the fight behind them and hang out together.