Southgate Avenue

I, along with a host of other Southgate Avenue children, found ways to pass the after-school hours by playing games like Red Rover and Hide & Seek. In the summertime we would buddy up to those on the block who had a pool. We were absolutely free to roam the neighborhood if it was light outside. Mom would kick us out of the house to play in the afternoon sun until the collective smell of onions, garlic, fried meats and cooking oil wafted through the neighborhood exhaust vents, and someone from each clan would scream at the top of their lungs, "Dinner's ready!"

After the feast we would run back out to re-join the neighborhood activity, sometimes with the last bite of dinner still in our mouths when we caught up with our friends. We would run and play so hard, all the while sweat pouring off our shaved heads. We would itch from sliding on the grass and the occasional run-in with a nasty ant bed. Nevertheless, nothing could stop us until the sun began to set and we would wind-down our activity, based on how much light was left. Then in an instant, the street lights would come on and beckon us toward our individual homes.

Bath time was a challenge for my mother and her 3 boys. More water ended up on the floor than in the tub, and a soap ring appeared each time. Mom had to scrub everything the next day knowing all would be destroyed again that night. We battled our arms and legs into clean pajamas with the smell of Safeguard replacing the pungent odors of sweat and soil. Then we'd settle in with our favorite evening TV shows and beg to stay up one more hour. Before we knew it, our sleepy heads were ready to hit the pillow. It was time to slip into our clothes-line-fresh beds and lay there listening to crickets as we fell off to sleep. Nothing was more secure, safe or satisfying: knowing that mom and dad were standing guard from the other room...all was well.

Tonight, as a dog barks in a distant yard, and a fall breeze gently rustles the bushes around my house, I am thankful for my parents. I pray that my kids have the same memories of security and warmth that I knew while growing up on Southgate Avenue.