Hick drove up to Buddy’s old house. A boy was sitting out front. He hollered in the window for someone to come out. The GUY came out. Hick says the GUY and his girlfriend are renting it. They each have a son living there with them. Their dog started fighting with Jack and Copper Jack. Dogs will be dogs. It was his territory, after all. The GAL came out trying to stop the dog. She went back in and got a baseball bat to “discourage” him. Seems to me that if you can’t control your dog without a baseball bat, maybe you should keep him on a chain.
Anyhoo…once the dog drama was over, Hick said,
“I don’t want to be a bad neighbor, but I think your boys have been in my cabin.”
GUY said, “We know. I came down to talk to you about it, but I saw your truck was gone.”
[AHA! That must have been the white truck! Not a tree-trimmer after all.]
Then GUY said, “I was out looking for the boys, and saw them come up out of your woods. So I knew they’d been up to something. They said [our next-door neighbor, Copper Jack's human daddy's grandson] told them it was okay to play there.”
GAL looked at the kid, and said, “Go in the house and bring out what you SAID you found in the creek.”
It was a little vial of turquoise rocks, labeled "Turquoise" with a paper label on the outside!
GAL said, “I KNEW they didn’t find that in the creek. Now where did you REALLY get it?”
The KID said, “We took it out of the cabin yesterday.”
GUY said, “I’m surprised he didn’t call the police. You boys are NOT to go down there unless you’re invited. I think you owe him two days’ work.” He looked at Hick. “I hope make them work for you.”
Here’s where I have a problem. Hows about that GUY bring the boys down and MAKE them work, at whatever project Hick might have? Don’t make HICK be their overseer. He’s the VICTIM here, not a convenient Simon Legree to keep your kids in line! I’m sure the GUY means well, but he can’t just pass this off on Hick.
Anyhoo…Hick thinks the boys probably took more than just a little bottle of rocks, but I’m pretty sure he can’t remember everything he has hoarded down there. I think those little brats had a lot of nerve, to be in the cabin multiple times, not just to look around, but to play with sharp implements and ammunition (that’s why we have an umbrella insurance policy!), and steal things.
We’ve never had any problem with the neighbor's grandson going in there. We even paid him to feed the dogs and cats when were in Oklahoma. And these boys had already told ONE lie to the GAL, bringing those rocks home and showing her, saying they found them in the creek. Man, I hate a liar!
I don’t think these kids are headed for a life of crime, because they’re pretty stupid to SHOW their stolen goods, and not smart enough to know that a bottle of turquoise rocks found in the creek would not be all shiny and clean and have a paper label that looks like it’s never been wet. Also, to say they had permission from someone who can easily be asked for verification, is not something a crafty criminal would do.
Now the neighbor across the road says she is going to start locking her doors. She hasn’t done that before. We haven’t had kid trouble like this since the Bad Hay-Baling Lawyer’s kids uprooted all of Hick’s county political candidate signs and laid them down flat!
At least it wasn’t the tractor battery stealer, who would have TAKEN the axes. At least they aren’t homeless squatters moving in, requiring tens of thousands of dollars in lawyer fees to evict them from our property.
Still, if I ever see these little thieves walking along the road, they’re gonna get the full power of my 3.5-year-dormant STINKEYE!
You got the jar of turquoise, Right? Parenting is a lost art in some houses.
ReplyDeleteYes. I'm not so sure Hick knew it was missing, but he knew it was his when the boy brought it out. Then I took a picture of it.
DeleteThe parents seemed like they were doing the right thing. They could easily have accused Hick of falsely accusing their precious offspring.
I think the guy meant well, but I agree with you, who wants to oversee their labor. I thing Hick should put a lock on the door.
ReplyDeleteI think the guy was seeking a consequence for his boy. He might have had the intention of coming along. It just seemed weird, when most parents forbid their child to be around an unfamiliar adult, and this guy was practically handing his kid over.
DeleteIt's a sad sign of the times when you have to lock your door against your neighbor!
In Jersey we lock the door and set an alarm.
DeleteHeh, heh! We have not evolved that far. Yet. We only have the stickers that SAY we have an alarm.
DeleteI would bet that is not the last you see of those kids. Hick should bluff the kids and ask for the rest of what they took. No, I would not like to have to oversee the kids.
ReplyDeleteI think Hick should set a trap. Not one that will hurt anybody, but one that tells if somebody went in the cabin. Of course, these boys didn't mind letting their presence be known before, but they might think they're slick now, and try to put things back after playing around.
DeleteLike maybe Hick could drape a string from frame to door, that they wouldn't notice, and couldn't reach to reset if they did.
Hick has not mentioned any plans for revenge chores.
I agree the father should supervise any chores Hick gives the boys, but perhaps he has a job to go to. I'm sure Hick will manage. I think Hick needs to start locking his shed and all the shacks in Shackytown too until that family leaves the area at least. That's what I would do anyway.
ReplyDeleteI think the father should be willing to give up his weekend, and be present for the consequences. Hick values his time, too!
DeleteHick keeps the other buildings locked, just not the cabin. It's pretty out-of-the-way, and you have to be deeply trespassing to get to it. I think it's probably safe for a little while, but summer will be the problem.
The little demons need a good swift kick and since when is it up to someone else to impose a penalty on your kids? I don't get people these days. The parents should have to reimburse any damages their children do. How they decide to discipline their children is on them. I had a camper ask me to make his teen son mow my dog park for something the child did that had nothing to do with me or my park. The kid broke my mower and I told the man to discipline his own child and not send him to me. I was not very nice about it, either. He broke the self propel function and I was pretty vocal about how pissed off I was. I really don't like teens as a general rule.
ReplyDeleteThe kids are like that because the parents have been pawning off the responsibility since they were born! This guy could have made his kids build something for Hick, and bring it to him. Rather than expect Hick to spend his time monitoring them in chores. WHICH Hick did not do. He wants no part of it, and doesn't want them back on our property.
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