Boys Cry Wolf

  P.S. 112 was my elementary school of attendance. Waking up on school days my clothes were nothing glamorous or flashy, just an average pair of Nikes, some plain jeans, and an awkward polo. Besides my obsessive acne this made me the butt of some jokes. If I would ever do a recap of my years in elementary (which I have) I would say that my gear probably wasn't high ranked, but my grades were.

  Come to think about it school was everything. School was bigger than sports. Even popularity in general. This attitude and mindset would carry on until adulthood. Some would have to take it or leave it.  

  "With age comes understanding" was a saying that I often heard. The older I got the more I understood it's context.  

  By the time high school hit half of the boys I grew up with began to seek "game" and interest on the "ave." There's nothing more terrifying than a degrading metamorphosis. It would be these same innocent and hopeful little boys that would turn into lifeless interpretations standing on the local avenue drunk off some cheap liquor and high off some synthetic weed. Can we get any lower than this? One can only guess so.

  Leaving the deli I would usually snack on my bacon, egg, and cheese or BLT. Almost all the time two particular young men would be waiting for me to pass them. Having no need to put their hands out for money they'll just say "yo, let me get a dollar." Feeling pressed I always said no. Even spelling it out for them: N.O. Me doing this resulted in either being chased or harassed on my way to school. You know this shit got tiring.  

  One day I was running an errand on the "ave" and one of these fellows approached me. "Yo, let me get a dollar" he said. I was no one's piggy bank, so my answer was no. Retaliation almost got serious, but thanks to a pedestrian nothing physical happened. If I didn't learn anything from this exchange a milestone in my manhood training was accomplished.

  Currently, I don't see him or the other fellow on the "ave" anymore. When I look back on things I use to envy guys like them. However, they were the ones that envied me. I Bet that life (and the system) is having a ball with them. A two way stream could be possible. Please save the tears. Boys cry wolf around these parts.