I am not a drinker.
I don’t like drinking, feeling out of control, inebriated, drunk, intoxicated, whatever you want to call it.
I would much rather spend an evening watching movies and eating ice cream than going to a club or bar or crowded house party.
Why do people think strangers grinding against you, firey-like substances being thrown down your throat, and precarious footsteps to the nearest bus/sidewalk/front door sounds like a good time? That doesn’t sound like fun to me.
I love comedy clubs. Movie theaters. Musicals. Cafes where they play music. Parks. Carnivals. Things of that nature. Unfortunately, when you live 10 minutes outside a busy city and the only way to get there is by car and you know there won’t be any parking/it will be so freakin expensive, it doesn’t make sense for you to go. Not only that, but the nearest train station is also 10 minutes away in the opposite direction. Doesn’t make much sense, does it.
No wonder teenagers in suburbs get into all sorts of trouble. I am very close to no longer being a said adolescent (I’m so ooooold), but I still have trouble finding things to do.
I closed the store last night and as I was throwing the mop water out the back door, I noticed there was a group of kids huddled near the grocery store dumpster. Ew. Why? Maybe they like the smell? But I don’t know anyone who likes the trash-old-bagel-melted-ice-cream-laundry-fuzz aroma that constantly wafts from within the depths of that appalling green container. Blegh.
But anyway … These kids are all encircled around this dumpster. So my friend and I locked everything up and left out the back door and walked past the trash-loving freaks. We made our way to the side parking lot and, lo and behold!, there are MORE kids in circles. Only these kids have two cars and 20 people, all smoking and drinking from the same wine bottle. Lovely.
We rounded the corner and headed to my friend’s car in the main parking lot. …. and there are MORE. CHILDREN. There was a flag football game going on in the empty back of the lot. On the sidelines, girls cheered and giggled. I looked to my right, and there were kids sitting on the grocery store front curb. The parking lot was literally crawling with kids aged from 13 to upwards of 17 (I would guess, because like two of them had vehicles and, hopefully, licenses).
My friend went to go start up the car and I had to go get some milk from the grocery store. So I made my way in, tired and sore from mopping the floors and dealing with cranky customers. I walked into the flourescent lights and blasting A\C and what did I find?? TEENAGERS. Everywhere. In the aisles. By the fruit. Near the dairy. Looking at meat. Not buying anything. Not shopping for food. Just WALKING. And talking. And sometimes running around acting like baffoons. I grabbed my milk and made a bee-line for checkout.
As my friend and I finally pulled out of the shopping center, we were confronted by more children in different parking lots.
We really need to get some more stores to open past 9 around here. Soon, every parking lot in America will be the new home of teens, young and young. Which is not good!
Because I just want to buy my milk in peace.
————————————————–
On a lighter note, I’m going to start researching local cafes and things that stay open past 7 PM. And are cheap. Cause I need something to pass the time!
P.S. I also wish I didn’t have to drive everywhere …. why do stores and things have to be 5,000,000 miles away from where I live???
