I don't remember the house number, but we lived there in early 1965 as I recall; anyway it was before I had started first grade. We were reminiscing today and my parents used the word "slums" to describe it. Here's how I recall it.
It was on a busy street with a candy shop nearby. You could get these red edible fake lips there. Seems they were made of a waxy substance. I've never seen them anywhere since that I can remember. In my gallery of memories that street is a Norman Rockwell painting.
Our apartment had thin walls with neighbors on the other side. I remember hearing great domestic wars in the night, sounds of banging and hitting and screaming. I was sure it was murder. But always when I'd check in the morning I'd see those two; they couldn't get enough of kissing each other to finish up saying goodbye so that he could go to work. I worried that he would be late for work. When I told my mom about it, and she said not to talk to them and not to watch them saying goodbye in the mornings. I was always glad to see that they were both still alive though and that they'd survived their big fight.
Since I wasn't supposed to talk to them my contact with the neighbors became limited to a kid who hung around there. In my memory's list of characters he's a graduate of Fagin's school of pickpocketing from _Oliver Twist_. I don't remember if I ever knew his name, but he would tell me stories about a rat. One day he told me the last story about that rat. I don't remember the circumstances, but the rat had died, and "went to heaven". Well, I was a conscientious enough preschooler and had a little background in theology, so I seriously explained to him that:
- only a soul can go to heaven.
- A rat is an animal and animals don't have souls, so
- Rats don't have souls, and
- The rat did not go to heaven.
I didn't laugh in front of him, but I when I told my mom I guess I made her laugh; anyway we moved to a different neighborhood after that.
6 comments:
made me laugh, too... I can just see the whole thing. His name was either 1- Draco Malfoy, 2- Crabbe or 3- Goyle...
by the way- we used to love those lips, too! lol (I bet you can still get them if you know where to look!)
i can still taste those lips!! i love chewing wax. one of my favorite things. is this insightful enough for you? i notice you were wanting some fresh inspiring insights..so came over here to give you my incredible flaky brain crumb. isn't that a bizaar thing to say..just came tumbling out. anyway..funny story and you have certainly made your merry way around the world since 1965 haven't you?
"Flaky brain crumb", yeah I like that...
would that be like dandruff????
Oh yeah, this post brought back tons of memories and laughs. I had to read it outloud to Beau and Drew who really appreciated the story. They need to read the classics though as they couldn't make a connection to Fagin's school of pickpockets. I read many classic and had forgot all about Fagin until you reminded me. Charles Dickens was one of my favorite authors.
thankfully, i don't have dandruff...but, i do get my "dander up" which i have up right now as i just learned a friend of mine needs 7,000 bucks in order to meet the deductible so her son can get eye surgery. how can this be? the kid is seeing double...on meds for ADD..and I'd need meds too if i saw double. I'm on a mission to get that kid help..so..yes, i have dander...up! hee hee. I can't believe you're in my homeland!! Go to the Hallingdal region and look up my relatives..the Sagabraaten's. There is some in Oslo also. Very Lutheran. My 3rd uncle or whatever he was ( got killed falling off a ladder at the museum there) lives right by that huge ski jump in Hallingdal.
i'm sorry this is such an extended one sided conversation...i'll be flaking off somewhere else now....
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