Punk ass kids?

I am going to tell you about an incident that happened to me recently. Usually, I like to end my blog posts with something positive or upbeat but, not in this case because I am still at a loss for words about what happened. I wanted to write about it, though, just to get it out of my mind. Tell me what you think.

A few weeks ago my grandson and I were returning home from a hockey game. It was nearly 10:30 PM. We were both still giddy from our team's epic win and continued our revery by rolling a hockey puck and playing with it soccer style on the sidewalk leading to our apartment. Next to our building there is a large decorative landscape boulder where folks often sit and visit. This evening was no exception. There were two teenage boys, a teenage girl and a few younger children on and near the boulder. As my grandson and I continued our game I could hear the kids talking. At first it didn't seem like they were addressing us then it became apparent that they were, in fact, talking to us. Well, that's putting it nicely.

"Hey, who told you you could play on my sidewalk? This ain't no playground! I'm talkin' to you! Bitch, you better listen or I'ma whip yo ass!" Fortunately, my grandson had been so immersed in our game that he didn't pay attention to what was being said. We came to the end of the sidewalk where it turns toward our building, we stopped and I reached down to pick up the puck . When I did I also stepped into the light and looked right at these kids; the youngest about ten and the teenagers between thirteen and fifteen. Upon seeing that I wasn't a kid the youngest looking child (a little girl) said "Oh, my bad, mam. I thought you was a kid. I didn't mean what I said." The older kids were snickering and giggling. I sent my grandson ahead  before I asked her if this is how she talks to complete strangers that are minding their own business. She apologized and repeated that she thought I was just another kid.   As I walked up the stairs she called out one more time "I'm sorry, mam. I really thought you was a kid!" Extra points for at least feeling remorse and apologizing but, what if I was just "another kid"? Then what? Would I have been harassed some more and possibly had my ass whipped?

I was content to let it go at that, to shake my head in bewilderment that a small child would think it was okay to verbally bully complete strangers. Although I wondered if she had made the decision to do it on her own or was she encouraged by the older kids to mouth off  like that? I don't know. Either way it was bothersome to me. 

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! About fifteen minutes later I came back out to walk my dog and let her attend to her doggy business. (My dog is an eight pound mixed breed rescue pup.) All the kids were gone except for the two teenage boys. They were standing on the downstairs apartment doorstep nearest to the landscape boulder.  (That apartment is vacant, although furnished and used as the model.) As I was walking by the boys starting making small talk about my dog. I answered a few questions and kept walking because this is not unusual, my neighbors, especially the children, always have questions about my dog. They continued to walk in the same direction, as well. One of the boys then asked if they could come up and hang out in my apartment for about twenty minutes. I said sorry but no. He asked why not. I told him I wasn't in the habit of letting complete strangers hang out in my apartment. They both began saying things like they were cold (it wasn't) and did I want them to freeze? I told them to go to warm up in their own apartment, they said they didn't live here. I told them they should go home then. All this time they had been trailing me but, at this point they split up and got on either side of me. Even though I could tell these boys were no more than thirteen or fourteen years old they were both close to six feet tall. I stopped walking. One of the boys said "Well, what you gonna do if we just go to your apartment anyway?"  At first I was shocked by his audacity then I remember thinking he should work on trying to sound more menacing if he really wanted to scare me because he had a high Michael Jackson kind of voice. I said, "Well, I guess I'll call my son and have him ready to greet you boys like all other unwelcome visitors, with a few whacks from a taped up baseball bat to the face." and I pulled my phone from my pants pocket. "Or better yet, maybe I'll just call 911." They looked at each other and one said with a nervous laugh, "Is this bitch for real?"  As I dialed I called out the numbers in a loud voice, "9-1-1!" At the same time my dog, Chewy got into the act. Sensing the young man's aggression she began to growl and bare her teeth and lunged at him. The boy screamed and jumped about two feet in the air! This all happened so quickly that before I could even think of pressing send they took off running. It took all my strength to restrain Chewy from going after these wannabe thugs. Afterward I just stood there in shocked amusement for a bit. Another neighbor lady, about forty years old came sauntering around the corner just then, leisurely smoking her cigarette. Blowing out a puff of smoke she muttered "Punk ass kids." and kept walking.

I don't know what to think about this. Someone asked me if I was scared. Yes, a little bit, more after the fact, though. I think I was more shocked than anything else. Were these boys just trying to act tough? Have they done this kind of thing before? What is going to become of these young men? I wish I knew.