Hanging Out

When I was in high school I would sometimes head over on the subway to my best friend's house. When her father would come home, he would wrap his arms around his daughter and give her 10 kisses on one cheek, talk to her a bit, and then give her 10 more on the other cheek.

I loved her dad because he was funny, and even more so because he dis-liked my dad.

He would ask us what we were doing, and my friend would reply "Oh, we're just hacking around."

He would feign anger, and say, "Now girls, I've TOLD you about that. I DO NOT WANT anyone 'hacking around' in my house! Especially when I'm not here. If you want to 'hang out,' that's ok. 'Hacking around' will not be tolerated. Don't let me catch you doing it again."