Our fearful friends

I should have known.
After all, I raised 4 boys.
I know how they are.

So it didn't surprise me one day about 3 weeks ago when I hard a loud thump against our garage door while I was in the kitchen making dinner.  I recognized that sound so I went outside to find the culprit.  Two boys who were familiar to me, stood in our cu de sac with a bat and ball.  I asked the boys if their ball hit my garage door.  One of them said, "Yes" but as I walked up towards them, they took off running.

I didn't mean to scare them away.  I wasn't angry at all.  I just wanted to ask them to try to be a little more careful since I was trying to prevent dents in our garage.  But they didn't give me a chance.

Then I saw their teenage sister walk towards me.  She apologized for them.  I told her at least they were honest and admitted to it.  I said I just wanted them to be a little more careful.  She said,  "I know, they should, but uh, they are boys."  She was right, they are boys and I know boys, and I love boys.  I told her I raised 4 and they also played ball in this very cul-de-sac.

When I told Dennis about this after he came home, he responded,  "At least they were not inside their house playing video games."

These 2 boys had come to our home many times selling things for school...you know, cookie dough, discount cards on food, ...  Sometimes they were not even quite sure what they were selling but would say,  "We need a computer for our school.  Can you buy this?"
"What is it?"
"Uh, we don't know but you can read about it right here."

They became regulars on our porch.

Such polite and appreciative boys, so we never turned them down.

But ever since the garage door incident, they stopped coming.  And they would no longer wave to us as we would drive by them, or even smile.  I think out of fear towards me.  I thought of having Elora help me make Rice Krispy squares to take to them, but we never quite got around to that.

So one day last week I saw them once again playing outside, and I thought, okay, I need to remedy this.  We were expecting company in about 45 minutes, so I just quickly went out to them and asked about an address, trying to find the home of some mail that was misdirected to our house.  They helped me and I thanked them.  As I walked back into the house I thought, okay, now I feel better.  At least they are talking to me again, and hopefully they will smile and wave next time we drive out of our cul de sac. 

And who knows, with any luck they may be back selling us things on our porch.

Not even 30 minutes later I was brushing my teeth when I heard the door bell.  With the tooth brush still in my mouth I opened the door and there stood my 2 little fearful friends.  They flashed a catalog towards my face and said,  "Would you like to buy some candles?"

Problem solved.