Gang?

I thought this was the perfect picture to explain how I felt last night and actually for quite a few nights now. We've been having the best weather here in New York City. Spring is in the air and we've had a few 70 degree days, sun shining and everyone was working on their lawns. Yesterday there were landscapers around the neighborhood, putting down seeds and that white powder, whatever that is? I was sneezing all day into the night!

But the nice weather has brought a group of about 8 to 10 older teenage boys, parking their cars, two or three cars, and hanging across the street from about 7pm to 9:30pm or so. I've looked at their faces, they look very young, like just old enough to have their driver's license. Baby faces, yet there's 8 or so. A gang? Trouble? Disturbing? Yes and no.

They really don't look like they're up to anything. I think it's just a meeting place, my block is quite. Across the street is one house and then the rest of the block is just a big area that's the side yard of a neighbor from around the block. All trees and the house is set back. The boys are not smoking or drinking or playing loud music. They don't even talk too loud. I don't think there's any drug dealing going on either. All the same, when I see them and especially when I'm by myself, I get a little nervous.

Individually they look as cute as the Muppets usually look. But together they look like the Muppets above. All together they become "they". Do they still think individually or do they become of one mind, doing things they normally wouldn't do by themselves, the gang giving them more nerve?

Mr. B, my neighbor across the street was walking his dog Trixie (cutie pie) and I noticed him giving them a little stare, like what's up guys, are we going to have trouble here?

I remember when I used to ride the bus from Brooklyn to Staten Island for high school. There was a big dip in the road on the first exit getting off the Verrazano Bridge. It really felt like the bus could tip over because it slanted so much to the right side. A bunch of us would free stand, not holding on to the bars and fall all over whoever was sitting their, friends or poor innocent strangers. I would never do that traveling alone. Now that wasn't such a horrible thing, but again, it was something we all did, and something we all wouldn't do by ourselves.

I hope these young men who have started hanging on our block keep behaving the way they are now and make me believe there are still times when it's not such a bad thing to see a gang of kids hanging out.