It’s the sort of a day that ought never to be wasted. It’s a day to be outside. While the coffee was brewing, I did a walk around the yard and picked up the inside toys Gracie sneaked out, stood the bowling pin back up and reattached covers to the tulip lights. On the deck, I watered the plants and herbs in the window boxes. It is a glorious day.

On one side of my elementary school, a seldom used door led to a narrow driveway, an exit from the parking lot also seldom used. Houses, separated by a fence, were on the other side of this narrow way. In late spring, the driveway was mostly in shadow and the sun only dappled here and there. Branches from huge trees hung over the fence, and it was their leaves which kept the sun at bay. I used to veer out of line and go out that side door instead of the main door we were all expected to use. My yard, much of it now in shadow, reminded me of my secret walkway in springtime.

Step on a crack and break your mother’s back was what we’d sing song when we’d jump across the sidewalk cracks on our way anywhere. It was just one of those things we kids said, and we had a bunch of them back then. We knew the last one in was a rotten egg. It was an indisputable fact. “I know what you are, but what am I?” was one of our snappiest comebacks as was, “It takes one to know one.” We were clever kids with repartee. “I’m rubber, you’re glue, everything you say sticks right back to you.”

The worst was to accuse a boy of liking a girl. It was great fodder for playground harassment. Peter and Bonnie sitting in a tree K I S S I N G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage.

We seldom made fun of differences. The taunts were generic, good for everybody, male and female alike. I don’t ever remember name calling. We were into teasing and laughing and running for our lives afterwards.

This entry was posted on May 24, 2010 at 10:39 am and is filed under Musings. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: teasing