Life is generally grand around here in Duckland - we've got good neighbors up the road and down the road. Across the street, well they're ok neighbors. I use their older son to help me move crap, clean gutters, etc., but he's a junior in high school, plays football and is generally getting more unavailable. So I've been using their younger son more and more lately - we'll call him Johnnie. He's got a smaller frame than his big bro - no football for him, but his brain is much more evolved than bro, mom or dad. Smart kid - will go far.
Johnnie turned 12 a couple weeks back - grandpa gave him an air rifle for his birthday. Low and behold, the Duckmobile turned up with a nice starred hole in the right rear window Saturday. Fuck - oh well. Shit happens. So I waddled across the road and up the hill to their house, knocked and spoke with dad. Dad is a hothead, and can blow up at a moments notice. I've been dealing calmly with him for years now to where he no longer loses his shit, but whenever I pay him a visit he knows something is up. I saw him slightly shake his head when he saw who it was.
I stated Johnnie said he'd received an air rifle for a birthday present a couple weeks ago, and coincidentally a side window on my car was hit (probably Friday) by what appears to be a BB or pellet. I noted the car has been - and continues to be - parked in its same spot for 4 days now without moving, that the window hit appeared to me today (Saturday) and that coincidentally it's on the side facing their house. He got the inference and immediately started yelling that his son wouldn't do that and that he knows better, blah, blah, blah. I let him finish, looked at him and then said "Would you do me a favor and please ask him if he did it?". He said he would. And he did. He walked to the House of Duck a couple hours later, said that yes, Johnnie had probably done it. Or maybe his friend. They'd been shooting birds (QUACK!), realized they'd been shooting in the direction of our house without a backstop (he's hunted deer with dad and bro for a few years now) and had stopped. He didn't think to check for damage.
Hothead said he'd taken the air rifle away (I said it probably wasn't necessary - that he'd likely learned his lesson), and offered to pay to fix the car window. I said that wasn't necessary either - that I'd just pay Johnnie half for whatever work he did for me in the future until he paid it off. Dad seemed to like that idea - I knew he would. Will get a quote to have it fixed and share it with them eventually.
I saw Johnnie get on the school bus this morning when I walked down to the end of our drive. He waved, and I waved back. Good kid. His dad could learn a few things from him.
Life is generally grand around here in Duckland - we've got good neighbors up the road and down the road. Across the street, well they're ok neighbors. I use their older son to help me move crap, clean gutters, etc., but he's a junior in high school, plays football and is generally getting more unavailable. So I've been using their younger son more and more lately - we'll call him Johnnie. He's got a smaller frame than his big bro - no football for him, but his brain is much more evolved than bro, mom or dad. Smart kid - will go far.
Johnnie turned 12 a couple weeks back - grandpa gave him an air rifle for his birthday. Low and behold, the Duckmobile turned up with a nice starred hole in the right rear window Saturday. Fuck - oh well. Shit happens. So I waddled across the road and up the hill to their house, knocked and spoke with dad. Dad is a hothead, and can blow up at a moments notice. I've been dealing calmly with him for years now to where he no longer loses his shit, but whenever I pay him a visit he knows something is up. I saw him slightly shake his head when he saw who it was.
I stated Johnnie said he'd received an air rifle for a birthday present a couple weeks ago, and coincidentally a side window on my car was hit (probably Friday) by what appears to be a BB or pellet. I noted the car has been - and continues to be - parked in its same spot for 4 days now without moving, that the window hit appeared to me today (Saturday) and that coincidentally it's on the side facing their house. He got the inference and immediately started yelling that his son wouldn't do that and that he knows better, blah, blah, blah. I let him finish, looked at him and then said "Would you do me a favor and please ask him if he did it?". He said he would. And he did. He walked to the House of Duck a couple hours later, said that yes, Johnnie had probably done it. Or maybe his friend. They'd been shooting birds (QUACK!), realized they'd been shooting in the direction of our house without a backstop (he's hunted deer with dad and bro for a few years now) and had stopped. He didn't think to check for damage.
Hothead said he'd taken the air rifle away (I said it probably wasn't necessary - that he'd likely learned his lesson), and offered to pay to fix the car window. I said that wasn't necessary either - that I'd just pay Johnnie half for whatever work he did for me in the future until he paid it off. Dad seemed to like that idea - I knew he would. Will get a quote to have it fixed and share it with them eventually.
I saw Johnnie get on the school bus this morning when I walked down to the end of our drive. He waved, and I waved back. Good kid. His dad could learn a few things from him.
