We went through The City, by car and on foot, Mother and Sis and Bro and I. For Sis and Bro, it was the first time since we moved away, when Bro was only six and Sis eight, that they went back to places they'd known.
The rush of memory--the discovery of places almost forgotten--the feeling was magical.
It was here that we found our first garden spider, all black and yellow and big as your hand--right here, by that stone bridge. Here, there was a dead 'possum, and it left a skeleton--do you remember? Here is the school, how small it seems! And here the Original House--the Blue House. It is not as blue as before, and the fence is gone, but it looks homey as ever--you can still see the mesquite tree in the backyard if you look hard enough. And here! The Yellow House--it hasn't changed a bit--we could have left yesterday. Look, here is the house of our first friends--we met them on the playground, remember? We barely spoke English, but it was so easy to make friends! Here is the magnolia tree, about to bloom. And here is that restaurant, the one you copied for your model in second grade and then gave to the owner. Do they still have it? We should ask.
Eggs Benedict and Florentine, just like the last time we were here. Do you remember? We could barely walk home after all that food!
Crossing the river by night--you never realized there were so many buildings, and that they were so tall! The lights reflect in the river, forming a blurred image. The car windows are open--the Texas smell flows in. Summer--sweet, sticky, potent. The bats chirp and flap as they fly under the bridge.
City, I had forgotten you.
The rush of memory--the discovery of places almost forgotten--the feeling was magical.
It was here that we found our first garden spider, all black and yellow and big as your hand--right here, by that stone bridge. Here, there was a dead 'possum, and it left a skeleton--do you remember? Here is the school, how small it seems! And here the Original House--the Blue House. It is not as blue as before, and the fence is gone, but it looks homey as ever--you can still see the mesquite tree in the backyard if you look hard enough. And here! The Yellow House--it hasn't changed a bit--we could have left yesterday. Look, here is the house of our first friends--we met them on the playground, remember? We barely spoke English, but it was so easy to make friends! Here is the magnolia tree, about to bloom. And here is that restaurant, the one you copied for your model in second grade and then gave to the owner. Do they still have it? We should ask.
Eggs Benedict and Florentine, just like the last time we were here. Do you remember? We could barely walk home after all that food!
Crossing the river by night--you never realized there were so many buildings, and that they were so tall! The lights reflect in the river, forming a blurred image. The car windows are open--the Texas smell flows in. Summer--sweet, sticky, potent. The bats chirp and flap as they fly under the bridge.
City, I had forgotten you.
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