overpowered at the ping pong table-well, almost overpowered...

last night was a treat. i hung out with one of my favorite friends. we met at our usual hangout. we had the house special. turkey sandwich with avocado and fries. as usual, our evening was peppered with silliness and awkwardness. the live band was weird. not an 'artsy' weird. just weird. the more than middle-aged male lead singer kept making a gyrating leg move while singing his bluegrass jams. it was not an elvis presley on ed sullivan leg move. just a leg gyration. i can't complain too much though. the last time we were there, the band was belting out 'let's all love each other and praise nature' jams. in addition to paying a cover, for which i want to be refunded, the waitress pranced around the restaurant with a tip pitcher for the band. there was a group of women who got up in lillith fair fashion and began swaying and dancing in a circle. then, it got worse. all of a sudden, a large dog was on the dancefloor. it was a beast of a dog. i don't know much about dogs, but it was as big as a horse. one of the flower power chicks was dancing with this dog. it was all too much.
back to last night..
so after we had our house specials, got visually assaulted by the band, and got overheated because the a/c was lame, we went outside. luckily, the ping pong table was left unattended. waiting for us. there were a few people outside, in groups of three. nothing too crazy. my friend and i were excited to partake in this new adventure at our hangout. a new chapter in the memory books. i had just picked up the paddle and was about to make my way to the other end of the table when this littly boy popped out of nowhere. an adolescent ambush. he was probably nine or ten years old. he was wearing a rather mature outfit: a white t-shirt with some print that i have seen on t-shirts for teens, long denim shorts, bright white sneakers, and a slicked back with a lot of gel hairstyle. despite his appearance, his demeanor was very childlike. scary childlike. twins in The Shining childlike.
with his hand stretched out towards the paddle in my hand, he asked, "can i play??"
at this moment i was shocked at his rudeness, annoyed that he interrupted my carefree moment, overwhelmed with the obligation of having to be nice because he was a kid and frightened by the blank look in his eyes and the man standing about ten feet way. i assume he was his father but i am not certain. he looked scary too. he had pretty much the same outfit on as 'junior' but his t-shirt was navy blue. he looked angry and violent. at first, he mumbled something to the child from afar and then said to the child, "we are leaving already." after 'pops' said that, 'junior' just turned and walked away and they both left.
stunned by what had just happened, i walk to the other end of the table and wait for my friend to serve, i don't know ping pong terms but i played volleyball in my heyday. we are ten minutes into our game and guess who walks in to the patio area??
yes, 'junior' and 'pops!'
after all the drama at the ping pong table, they head straight to the basketball court and play like there is no tomorrow. for a second i thought they were back for revenge or to loiter around the table until we coughed up the paddles, but they ignored us. i will admit i felt a little guitly for not offering the kid a chance to play.
then i thought "welcome to the jungle kid, stay on the lookout and get your own dang paddle next time!"