Last night was so warm I slept with the bedroom window open. The wind was blowing hard, and I could hear the rustling of leaves. Just as I was falling asleep I thought I heard drops of rain, but I wasn’t sure if I was awake or drowsily dreaming. The drops seemed to fall too slowly to be real, but this morning, the street and driveway were wet. The deck is strewn with yellow leaves from the oak tree. The sun is shining. The day is early September warm.

It’s errand day. I always save my errands until I have a bunch as I figure it’s best to ruin one day by running around than several. The errands will start with the allergist and Staples in Hyannis then on to the Christmas Tree Shop for suet, Agway for bird seed and dog treats then finally the grocery store. My larder is empty. I have a list.

Whenever my mother needed anything during the week, one of us was dispatched to the corner store, either the red store or the white store. We never knew the store names. They were just known by their colors. The white store was closer by a couple of blocks. It was a great ride on my bike. I’d go down the lawn hill and hope my father wouldn’t see the bike track then I’d take the street on the left and follow it until the last turn, also a left. From the end of that street I could see the store. It was across Spring Street and facing that last road.

The white store had wooden display cases with glass across the front. That’s where the penny candy was stored. The ladies who ran the white store, sisters I think, were patient. They knew that spending even a couple of pennies was not to be rushed. I tended toward candy which lasted a long time like Squirrels, Mary Janes or those green and yellow wrapped square candies which hurt my jaw to chew. I loved Atomic fire balls but holding on to the handle bar with one hand and using my other hand to make sure my mother’s bag, usually filled with milk or bread, didn’t bump out of my bike basket made it impossible to take the fire ball out of my mouth when the heat got too great. Besides, those were best sucked with a water source nearby.

My mother was smart. She knew we’d hurry to the store when we could keep the change. It was never more than a nickel, but in those days, to us kids, that was big money.