I took this shot through the glass at a local fast food establishment. A little while after I took the shot, a manager type person came out and accosted a group of young teenagers who had just arrived after school. She told them that a customer had complained about them using bad language. I didn’t even notice if they did – the only thing I noted was that they were a little boisterous and laughing a lot – all to be immediately suspect, of course, and reported, lest life get too lively and strange. (Last time we were there, we had just missed an apparent frakas (sp?) where they called the cops on a group of kids hanging around, for what reason we didn’t know.)

When I was in high school, my friends and I always hung out in fast food restaurants – it was the only place we could sit for a while and afford anything – walking through malls got boring quickly, and when you’re in upstate NY in the winter, there aren’t a lot of other options, particularly ‘outside’. And since one of our friends was allergic to pets, most of our houses weren’t available either. We only got scolded once, and that was a mistaken assumption on the part of the complainer – mostly we just laughed really loud – we weren’t intent on any kind of destruction or anything. *sigh*

Anyway, my wish is for every group of kids had a place to hang out like the Foreman’s basement in that 70’s show – LOL. Even with my allergic friend, we often ended up at my house, sitting around the kitchen table – my parents didn’t mind the noise so much. After my father died, my mom really enjoyed the company and often sat and laughed with us too. And then, of course, there was fridge access – mom kept it stocked with soda and american cheese slices – what more could you want? *grin*