There’s nothing like waking up
to a garbage truck, collecting your neighbors’ dinner from last night. Or the
sound of two alley cats fighting over the last drink of milk that the little
old lady left on her back porch. How about walking onto your front stoop to
dream of becoming a construction worker as you stare down the street at the new
community sports field that will be opening in just MONTHS! Of course you love
playing baseball in the street, but OH NO! Ms. Simmons can’t have another
window shattered, so the field might not be such a bad idea.
Even all of the noise we make playing baseball can’t cover up the
sweetest summer sound EVER! Your
ears began to pick up a yummy tune, it’s getting closer! You know that sound
very well. YES, the ice cream truck! All of a sudden you’re almost trampled by
a swarm of friends, rushing to be the first in line. “I’ll take a bomb pop!”
says little Johnny, the friend who takes pride in not getting a single ounce of
icy goodness on his Redskins Jersey.
With Bomb Pop in hand, you walk a few blocks to Potomac Park.
Hains Point is the best part! Too bad The Awakening
sculpture isn’t there anymore. It was always a blast climbing all over the
buried old man who was trying to escape from the deep sand. “Watch out,
Johnny!” we all scream as
the city bus makes a complete stop for us to cross at the crosswalk. Yes, that
ice cream must be awesome because little Johnny isn’t paying much attention to
the street.
The park is filled with
children all enjoying the nice summer air, but there are no swings available,
so you go climb the monkey bars until it’s your turn. You finally get on the
swing and as you’re pumping your legs for momentum, you feel the cool breeze
blowing through your hair. Your head tilted back and your eyes are closed;
there’s nothing better than flying on a swing! It’s time to head back to your
neighborhood, but your friends decide to stop at the convenience store for snacks. The homeless man stops us. “Excuse me kids, would you happen to have
some change?” Of course mom taught you to help others, so you reach down into
your pocket only to find a rubber band and 62 cents, but the homeless man is
appreciative. You hand him 52 cents and keep just enough to get a few pieces of
penny candy. Mmmm… the taste of banana fruities and the joy of helping someone
less fortunate, on top of being with friends is quite alright!
Football season is almost
here! Your dad is the coolest; he bought Redskins tickets for you and all of
your friends, and you’re just counting down the days until the big game! But until then, mom and dad
are taking you on the metro today! “See you later, guys,” you yell to your
friends as you’re waving goodbye! With one hand clutched to the end of mom’s
t-shirt, and the other holding on tightly to dad’s hand, you cross the busy
street in enough time before the crosswalk timer counts down to “0”. Safely
across the street, you and your parents continue to walk two more blocks before
you arrive at the Smithsonian metro station.
“Wow, look at that huge
pencil,” you say with excitement! “Sweetie, that’s the Washington Monument,” your
mom replies with laughter. Before going into the station, your mom spots a florist stand. “WAIT, I’d like
to stop here first.” Hmmm… what does mom need flowers for? Well down you go
into the train station. People to your left, people to your right, people with
bicycles, people in wheelchairs, people with children, people everywhere. …but
it is summer in the Nation’s Capital!
Of course your parents know
exactly where to go, but you are totally confused. “If only I had a map, and
actually knew how to read it,” you mumble to yourself. Well no need because
here comes the train. “Welcome aboard the Blue line train to Franconia
Springfield,” says the train operator. After passing through stations like
Federal Triangle and Metro Center, you finally arrive at the historic Arlington
National Cemetery. Mom’s father was a war veteran; he was such a brave man. Mom
places the flowers onto his tomb. Ahhhh… now the flowers makes sense. You’re very proud to have a
grandpa who served your country. At that very moment, you can absolutely
picture yourself as a soldier!
Now it’s time to ride the
train back home. Before getting back onto the blue line, dad stops to get the
family hot dogs from the snack stand. As you’re headed back home, you realize
you don’t want to go, but it’s getting late.
It’s 8 pm by the time you step
onto your front porch. The streets are quiet, but you can still hear cars
passing by on the busy street a block away. You get into bed with your favorite
book, and dad reads a few pages. Before you know it, you’re off to dream land.
Pretty busy day for a city kid! Well it’s about to start all over again because
here comes that garbage truck!
~LC
