Week 4 – Memory

 

When I was growing up, travel meant visiting my grandmother on Sundays.  It was a fifteen minute drive from town out into the country.  We always marveled at the dust cloud that followed behind us when we left the pavement.  The dirt road that only once a year might see a load of gravel followed the river for a while then the railroad tracks.  We knew we were close when we started up the big hill that sometimes required a running jump to make it all the way up.  Granma’s house was built by my father and his father during WWII when most of my uncles were away at war.  The side yard would sparkle with Irises in the summertime and we would chase each other to the well.  We always wanted to be the first to draw a cool bucket of water from the well that my dad helped to dig when he was fourteen years old.  The old well sat a few hundred yards closer to the house, but had been dry for quite some time.  We weren’t allowed to go near it. 

 

I remember one visit when I wanted to follow my older brother, Mike, when he bicycled to my cousin’s house that sat atop the adjacent hilltop.  I thought it would be a quick walk, but soon found myself alone on the dirt road between sharp curves with only woods to get bearings from.  I passed a distorted barn that sagged so deep on one side that the roof lay on the ground.  Rabbits and chipmunks scurried to cover when they heard my footsteps.  I kept thinking I’d see the house and my Aunt waving at me from the front porch every time I navigated around a curve.  I didn’t remember this many curves when we rode in the car.  Each time I told myself it would be around the next one, but it never was.  I decided to turn around and head back towards Grandma’s after the third try.  I thought how different the perspective of walking was from that of driving.  Just before I came within sight of the big tree that I recognized, my Grandma came into view running to find me.  I was surprised that she was so worried about me.  It was too far, so I had turned around to go back.  I guess she thought I might get into the woods and get bit by a snake or something.  The crisp, clean well water sure did taste good, though.