One day after school we were in the Montano's back yard shooting baskets with a basketball we had found lying around. We had nothing better to do. Neither of us was good at basketball, and neither of us had more than a passing interest in the game. Eventually boredom won out, and we gradually came to just standing around, boucing the ball once in a while, but without even the enthusiasm to shoot it. In the after-school ennui we were just waiting for something, anything, to pull us out of our lethargy.
Over on Monterey Avenue was a family of Whittys. There were lots of children. One of the older daughters had moved into the Skapouski's old house, across the street from the Montanos, after another neighbor, Anaclario, had done some remodeling. The Whitty daughter now had several young children -- a new generation. Richard and I did not know her name, so we always just referred to the family as the "Junior Wittys."
Suddenly Richard perked up, grabbed the basketball and said, "Watch this!"
He kicked the ball as hard as he could. To kick a basketball at all is pretty impressive; to kick as high as he did was marvellous, and all that Richard had intended. Unfortunately, the ball sailed high up through to the Montano's giant pine tree, miraculously finding a path through the branches, both into them and out again through the other side, curved over Fresno Avenue as it caught the wind up high, slowly arced over the street, picked up speed as it plumeted to earth, bounced once on the walkway in front of the Junior Whittys' house, and then sailed through the plate-glass window that Anaclario had recently installed to front the living room.
Richard and I stood with our mouths open, blinking. After a few moments Mrs. Junior Whitty came shrieking out of the house. "Are you out of your mind?! Are you trying to kill my kids?! I am calling the police. First I am going to beat you senseless...",
I continued to stare blankly, and inside was getting ready to run, but Richard turned to me calmly and said with his impish smile, "Pretty good, huh?"