New Neighbors

Not so new, really. They moved in across the street this summer. I've never spoke with them, though a young boy waved to me from the backyard once. Here's what I know about them:

• They have an orange Honda Element that they spend a lot time cleaning.
• Young people carrying oddly shaped bags come and go frequently, indicating either music lessons or drugs (which could explain the obsessive car cleaning)
• Two boys live there and they have a BB gun, which does not endear them to me.
• Their lights are on late at night.
• I haven't seen a female living there.
• They have a wireless network that I can use when ours isn't working.

It was almost a year before I met the other neighbors across the street and now we get along very nicely, so I'm not worried.

I remember when I was a kid my grandparents had a store in Brooklyn, and across the street from the store was a Strauss Tires store. I never thought much about it because kids tend not to think too much about tires. My father mentioned to me once that in all the years he lived there he never once saw someone come out of that store with tires. When I was around 12, the cops came and closed the store and the next day there was an article in the newspaper about the police breaking the largest illegal gambling operation in Brooklyn.