meta-roj

this evening, as i was sitting down to enjoy my traditional “rice with junk on it” dinner, and with the sun slowly setting outside my window, i heard an altercation on the street in front of my house.

through glass, and over the sound of a tv flipping channels, i think i heard someone say “and don’t you dare tell your mom i said that” or something to that effect.

so, i poked my nose out the front door, and found a 20-something contractor who was paving a neighbor’s driveway all afternoon shouting down a 7- or 8-year old kid on a bike. and when he noticed i’d noticed, he got relatively quiet and the kid made his escape.

a short while later, i decided to pick up the papers and check the mail and such – an excuse that would bring me within 30 or so feet of the scene of the altercation. the guy approached me, and asked it if was my kid (it’s not – and i’ve only seen him on the street and i’m not entirely sure which house he belongs to – which is very different than my experience as an 8-year-old, but i digress).

the guy then claimed the kid was out of control and had used inappropriate language with him… now, here’s where the tarnish on my armor shows up. i smelled bullshit, but i didn’t call bullshit. i just said i didn’t know the kid, and only heard the noise.

i don’t know which door to knock on to find out the kid’s side of the story, but nobody has any business dressing down an 8-year old – and if i did hear what i think i heard – telling them not to tell their parents – that’s way over the line.

but i folded at “you’re being watched, don’t do anything stupid.” this was certainly the easy way out. the kid’s safe, the contractors are gone. but was any harm done? i dunno. and i feel like i should.