Saturday, June 03, 2006

Mambo!

Last night we went to Belvedere Square to hear Mambo Combo. The main reason we went was to meet up with my Mom and her best friends, two of which are from Illinios, and one local. The women from Illinois are the women my Mom met when we moved to Oak Park. They lived on our block. I really don't know how they met, but they became good friends. Their houses were just like being in my home. As kids, we were welcome in any of them. All of us kids pretty much grew up together, though not in touch now. We were probably friends because they were, or more likely, like siblings. One year they decided to boycott the Good Humor man. They bought popsicles and kept them in their freezers and we could go to any house and buy a popsicle for a nickle or dime. Much cheaper than keeping the GH man in business. I remember them helping my Mom stain her oak table. I remember our dreaded moving day and the tears shed. I remember jumping from a cabinet and breaking a light fixture in Juanita's house. My sister broke Dorothy's window. I remember Dorothy coming to the rescue when my sister fell down the cement stairs with a glass jar in her hand and blood everywhere. I remember something about Juanita and charcoal crystals and an experiment of her son. I remember running through yards in the heat of the summer playing team tag and the last game before we moved when the adults joined us. Mostly I remember being loved. These families, these women, were and are my family. I had not seen them for years yet they have not changed a bit. It was a good evening.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

wonderful memories!

Jeanne said...

Oak Park?? I grew up in Western Springs.
Jeanne :)

weirdbunny said...

My parents had friends like that, those other mothers were just like extended family. It's true the other children were just like brothers and sisters, we either got on relly well or we would be arguing and fighting.