The paint was starting to peel off the fire hydrants as our peoples' movement to celebrate 200 years of surviving the experiment of USA became reality v red, white, and blue image of us. There was some disappointment that the symbolic couldn't do it for us.
One brother picked finger grips into a Nerf football. Dad couldn't believe his hand was still that small. Mom handed the ball back to the older brother and said, Deal with it, you're not getting another one until Christmas. The boy took in the order to deal with it, then grinned because realized, less than six months.
Mom put Dad's hand on her expecting tummy beneath fashion that didn't reveal healthier than over the past few years, so, more prayers for you Sherry, the note had read. And, we're off to California. I voted for "touch", hopefully everyone has fun. The guests were prepared to hold the line on a fun day. Cool.
I ran towards a neighbor's Dad so happy to see him but stopped myself short of leaping into his arms like the Victory Day photograph. "Thought you people went to California," my Dad said. "Well, the Mrs. did." This war is far from over, others had said talking late into the night.
Some of the neighborhood girls were borrowing Mama's jewelry to wear. She wanted to know the why of each pick. Kept up with all the news and used a proverbial fly swatter on gossip. She herself that day put a thoughtful selection of pieces in one of her pockets. And then asked me which piece she should wear first. I gazed at the collection gathered from thrift store and holiday gifts and thought about the past. Since you're the hostess of this worldly event, small world afterall, supposed to have a fun day in spite of all the evil, let's see....I dramatically took my time picking and then whispered the why to her. "Sounds complicatedly simple. I like it."
They'd been thwarting us at every turn. Haters of the Old Glory. Haters of selves, that's what a lot of druggies are. Haters of law and order. Freakish twists and turns in everyday life because of, well because for every plan to be good and do good, horrible people were able to organize. Done in the dark was a phrase equally applicable to any "fringe" activity since we all had to battle evil in a straighten up and fly right position.
It wasn't all bad, people had good days. Groups within being good citizen groups had particular flavor from strict to laid back. Then the criminals would make moves and we'd have to snap into action. Sometimes the police and communities had total safety going on and schools could honestly present amazing little people. Other times, at least near cities, it was really warlike.
Some blamed it on "the Asian war", brought home all the tumult and couldn't shake it, some. But the drug availability kept re-starting fires that people'd just barely survive. And when there wasn't drugs, there was lots of booze. Smoking and liquor. And so many people never getting ahead or getting settled and then losing it one way or another. The politics were fire and ice between neighbors and family because the politics were point blank about upholding beliefs and owning space to live those beliefs. Middle grounds weren't faring well.
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