You Get An F In Responsible Parenting

Every time the schools closes, a load of teenagers like to congregate outside of our office. They are often loud, and they smoke, drink, and leave rubbish everywhere. Recently, they have started to bring in skateboards and use our carpark as a park to play in. 

After several cars were damaged, security started to chase them out time and again, but they come back, often worse. This time, “someone” has sprayed graffiti over the front of the building. The police are called and catch a few of them still hiding on the grounds.

I get there as one of the mothers arrives. Instead of being a decent parent, she is screaming at the policewoman.

Woman: “He didn’t do anything! It was the others.”

Police: “I’m sorry, but he has spray paint in his bag that matches the damage. Did you give it to him?”

Woman: “Well, yeah, but that’s for his school work. He was probably just carrying it for someone.”

I do a double-take at that particular lack of common sense, and then I recognise the kid as the one who threw things at my car the other day while swearing at me. This is my chance to set him straight.

Me: “Oh, excuse me, officer, but if you look around the back, I saw this one smoking something that I’m guessing is illegal. I imagine you can trace the spit back to his DNA or something.”

Police: “Thank you, sir. Whereabouts?”

As I explained, the mother started to scream obscenities at me, eventually having to be restrained and arrested herself. The kid, on the other hand, seemed to accept his fate.

I ended up working for the company for many years. Shortly after I left, I heard that that same kid got a job there working as one of the security guards he used to try so hard to evade.