Ever Have One of Those Days?

Ever wake up and the atmosphere of the day took you back to another time and place in your life? You know, when the weather and general ambiance triggers something in your mind and slowly like a receding fog anther time comes to you. This was one of those days. It was overcast and a cool north breeze was pushing the humidity and heat of the summer to the south. There was the imminent hint of rain, not a thunderstorm, but one of those soft steady rains that cleans the dust from the air. Today took me back to a very simple time in my life. Back to when October with it's cool weather and changing of color heralded something dramatic.

I can remember it so clearly as if I had just woke from that day. I was so excited and I thought that it was never going to get dark. Even though the days were shorter and by 7pm it was dark, but I thought that the sun would never set. It was one of the few times in my life were I would skip supper so as not to spoil my appetite for the evenings door to door feast I was about to embark on.

With each drop of an acorn on the roof today, with each leaf floating slowly down to the ground my memory receded back to that day in west Texas just outside of Abilene. I was in the 3rd grade at the time and it was Friday, so I know that I would be out well after my normal bedtime that evening which added to the excitement and the expectations of a bigger take of the treats that were waiting behind each door I knocked on. No I thought, the earth is going to stop spinning and the sun won't set and I will stuck between afternoon and evening for the rest of my life holding this empty brown paper shopping bag.

I can see myself sitting on the front porch, my father pulling up into the driveway looking at me as he always did. Walking up the steps he looked down and smiled, without saying a word he walked on into the house and let my mom know he was home. I could smell the frying chicken, the yellow squash boiling on the stove and the cornbread in the oven. But I know I would not be sitting at the dinner table that evening. Maybe that was why my dad was smiling, he knew he would have a larger portion of the fried chicken that night.

Slowly I watched the sun descend behind the trees that lined the barbed wire fence across the road. My heels kicking against the concrete of the porch, looking for the first signs that it was time to set out on my quest for the evening. I watched the sky grow dark in the east and the first stars twinkling in the darkening sky. It was almost time. From the north I could see a band of clouds slowly start rolling in, the wind had a chill to it and I hoped it would not rain. The smell before the rain was there and it had me worried that it would cut my evening short. This one time in my life that gave me a little more freedom than other days. Where being a kid was the most important thing and this was a kid's night. As soon as the shadows from the trees stretched across the road and encroached on our yard my feet hit the dirt and I was off. Yelling my goodbye to my mom and dad as I passed the dining room windows, my bag flapping behind me. I knew before too long I would be using both hands to carry it.

Throughout the night I went from door to door, down every street, across fields and gardens searching out every house I could find. Tip toeing through the old grave yard, behind the old Catholic church I made my way methodically across town. At each door I knocked I can hear the plunk of the treats entering my bag as it slowly was filled. It was hard to fight the temptation to reach in and start gorging myself on my booty I had been gathering, but I managed.

Around midnight I made it home. My bag laden, me tired but excited to empty the contents of my bag on the living room floor and see what I had. My dad sat up waiting on me as I walked through the door. He looked over at me shaking his head and asked if I had managed to knock on every door in town. There was not a door I did not miss I told him. I had even went down streets that had on a few homes setting on large lots, homes most kids avoided because they thought they would not get anything. No stone left unturned I told him smiling. As I dumped the contents on the floor I was not disappointed in the least and I could tell by the look on my dad's face he would have a long reprieve of me asking him for change to buy candy. It was a treasure in chocolate, bubble gum, suckers, caramels and other candies. I felt rich.

I went to bed that night clutching the bag tight against me. Yes today was one of those days. Everything was just right for bringing yesterday back...

Later...