Taking the pace I’m going through….
There is a very clear delineation of the beginning of the transformation of my neighborhood and my life –the summer following fourth grade. Like the turning of the tide, eventually all that was unique and wild about our neighborhood evaporated. A gift to our generation, wiped away by the grinding of ‘progress’.
The people across the street moved–the ‘Wild Bill’ guy who owned the used car lot and his hot rodder son. Before they left, he set fire to tent caterpillars in his small tree out front, which made my father crazy. In their place came a woman with an older boy who had long-ish hair. His name was Steve, and you’ll be reading a lot more about him if you ‘tune in for future plot twists.’
People next to W-Bill leave as well. Family with a daughter a year older than I arrive. She keeps to herself. Jenny will make an appearance later as well.
Two doors down from us, the Georges leave. Another single mother comes, this one with two young boys. She quickly gains a reputation as a friendly, but tough woman with a mouth like a sailor. I see an opening.
The first winter, I sneak up to her house and trudge through the snow into the psycho neighbor’s backyard, leaving clear footprints. I disturb nothing and trudge back to her house, and my trail disappears onto her shoveled walkway. Next day, I hear psycho neighbor was at her door, but he scurries back to his rat hole when she addresses him in words most vile. Several words begin with F–; gee, lemmee think on that.
This summer was also the first time I remember the madwoman being taken away. Ambulance taking her away, lots of giggling, both from her and from us kids.
All summer construction workers were hammering at the school–new rooms will open in September!
Dad comes home from a council meeting. We are getting a playground!
A development of large 3 or 4 bedroom houses is built a quarter mile up the road. It has a weird store that looks like a small grocery and gas pumps out front. It is something called a ‘convenience store.’ No one had ever heard of such a thing; I bet the term wasn’t even in Webster’s.
And last–3 blocks away, a sign emerges in a field near our four-lane highway. Coming soon: A Mall.