Entry 6: The Vacant Lot
Every day our class is cursed with the dumb luck of playing our baseball games in the street like a bunch of hillbilly losers.
It doesn't matter if we're at the start of a game or at the bottom of the ninth with whatever pieces of junk we're having to use for bases loaded. If a car's coming, we're kicked out of 'the field' until we're lucky enough to get a red light.
After losing the ball, I'd had enough for one day. Like it wasn't bad enough having to spend half my afternoon switching from the sidewalk from the street. If I was looking to stretch my calves, I could have just stayed in gym all afternoon. Sheesh!
I went home not expecting to wake up to any better news about where we'd be able to play our game the next day. Wonders never cease though.
After receiving a phone call to help pick up some cheap lot near the area of the street our last game had taken place in, I took the bus over to see what all the commotion was about.
"This better be worth is football head! I was watching court tv!"
With a dreamy smile on his face that made me go weak at the knees, he handed me a shovel to help clear whatever garbage was left in the field….more like to dig out whatever was left of the field in that massive pile of garbage!
After picking up piece after piece of useless junk that had been left there to rot, the class got ready to finish the game that had been interrupted when our baseball fell into someone's truck yesterday.
It was the first game we ever played without having to worry about hearing…
"CAR!"
Once we'd had enough for one day, everyone left happy to know the field was ours whenever we felt like getting together for a game. Or so we thought…
We came back the next morning to see those eccentric 'neighbors' of football head had claimed the lot! Who did they think they were? They didn't spend half their weekend picking up other people's garbage!
We worked hard for that space! We weren't just going to say "Oh well, easy come easy go." We tried playing, despite the senseless activities they had set up around us…
Checkers on the pitcher's mound, chickens on the bases, plants on home plate? Is this not stuff they could be doing at home? Criminy!
After seeing it was more trouble than it was worth playing there, we were reduced to moving our game to behind an alley.
It was no better than avoiding cars in the street after Sid busted a window with his oh so impressive batting skills. The group had nothing better to do then, than stare at the commotion that was forming across the street.
Apparently, those grown ups should have made a list of boundaries to follow as to what was allowed on the field and where.
My beloved then noticed the dumpster that still withheld the waste we had all collected from yesterday. We all knew what he was thinking and didn't hesitate to throw the two ton metal case on top of their precious field!
"Hey Arnold! I want an explanation for this!"
"This is how the lot looked before we cleaned it up. Before we turned it into Gerald field, and before you guys kicked us out."
Bet they spent all night kicking themselves over that one, because this morning it was cleaned up and better than ever!
Oh my love is so bold! Coming up with the most remarkable ideas!
