The idea occurred to Boy when he was in junior high school that the reason the boys often broke up into small gangs and couldn’t organize into a single mob like the girls was because of the praires. While the girls had been mobbing most of the school year, the boys had settled into two gangs that came together only to taunt each other.
Fights did sometimes break out when the two gangs met, but their encounters usually went no further than wisecracks and threats that were soon forgotten.
“Ese, you better watch out or te pongo la pompa andar (I’ll get your pump going),” was a common expression.
“Pos arrancate si te tenta el diablo (then take off if the devil temps you),” was a common reply.
That was usually as far as things went. Both sides would retreat to then talk among themselves about how bad things would have been had the other side gone further and sparked a fight.
“You saw how I was about to get him?”
“Siról, I was feeling sorry about was gonna happen to him, ese.”
“Next time they do that again, let’s ponerle.”
This division into two gangs was recent. It resulted from the boys trying to copy the rucas and form a single mob. But unity didn’t last even a whole week. Some of the most mentotes among them decided to call a meeting of all the vatos after school, but when they got together, the praires took over and started talking about praying. One praire said they shouldn’t go further before they prayed for a happy resolution. Then a second praire agreed and started praying for success.
“So what are we gonna do?” Boy heard somebody asked one the praires.
“Pray for success,” the first praire answered.
“Chale! Everybody should just pray for themselves,” the second praire chimed in.
Overnight, the boys separated into two gangs, one on the side of praying for success and the other on the side of individual responsibility.
Boy noted that the praires didn’t emerge as leaders or even close to the top. They just kept getting in the way.
“Ese, you wanna pray for what the gang should do?’ one of the priares asked Boy as they both stood at the back of the pack.
“Nel. I don’t think it’ll help,” Boy responded.
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