City Me, Suburb Me

This is NOT how I planned to spend my summer!

I didn’t want to move. I liked the city, and my friends, and my dog, Spotty. He was better known as the “neighborhood mutt” because we couldn’t keep him in the yard. He always managed to dig his way out under the fence and wander around everywhere.

“I don’t want you going to high school here,” Mom said. “Kids are bringing knives to school and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

I was in sixth grade and felt I still had plenty of time before worrying about high school. But Mom had already made up her mind and felt a move to the suburbs would be much better, much safer.

“What about Spotty?” I asked.

“Our neighbors across the street said they will keep him. We can’t have a dog roaming around in the suburbs.” She saw the sad look on my face then added, “We will come back now and then to visit him and your friends.”

I was crushed! She never bothered to ask me what I thought! Why would I want to leave the house I grew up in? It was so unfair! In spite of my protests, the house went up for sale anyway and we moved in the spring. We couldn’t even wait until the end of the school year! Of all days, we moved on April 1^st – April Fool’s Day. How appropriate. I was off to a great start….

The new house was nice and had one big bedroom upstairs that used to be an attic. That would eventually be my room and I was fine with that. It had candy-striped carpet (at least, that’s what I was told), and windows at both ends of the room. The main floor was similar to the old house - living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms. Pretty basic. There was a basement too-with a bathroom in it! We also got a washer and dryer so my Mom wouldn’t have to go to the laundromat any more like we did in the city. She was happy about that, and so was I since I always had to go with her and it was boring. We kept our ping pong table and put it in the new basement, so some things did stay the same. However, the new house didn’t have a fireplace and I missed that.

And then there was school. My first day in my new classroom was kind of a disaster. The teacher wasn’t very friendly, (she was old – at least fifty I think), and the kids were kind of snobby. Being small and looking younger than my age didn’t help, so they made fun of me. I was also a “city kid” which put me a few notches lower than the rest of them, at least, in their minds. I was surprised when we got a break for recess. At my old school we didn’t, and instead, we were kicked outside after lunch until the period was over. We had a kick ball area and monkey bars, and lots of gravel. The new school had a nice playground with swings, slides, and grass! I was impressed!

My first day in gym class was horrible! My mom had to buy me “gym clothes” – a white button-up shirt with blue shorts. Who wears button-up shirts to gym class? On the bright side, I at least looked like everyone else during that period, but after class was over the real shock came. Before we entered the locker room, the teacher yelled out, “Get to the showers!”

What?!!!

We didn’t have showers at my elementary school in the city. We went to gym class with our street clothes on, put on sneakers, and played dodge ball like normal kids. After class we put our regular shoes back on and went to homeroom or our next class.

Showers?! I NEVER took a shower at school!

Like, take all my clothes off in front of the other girls so they can see my naked and very underdeveloped body? It was bad enough there when I had all my clothes on! But the teacher commanded it, so I did what I was told. It was the most humiliating and embarrassing day of my life! When I got home from school, I told my Mom all about it and firmly stated, “I’m never going back!”

She provided little sympathy. In fact, I’m pretty sure I heard her laugh a little. I was back in my classroom the next morning trying to survive my not-so-friendly teacher and the snobby kids, with the added knowledge that the girls had seen me naked. Ugh!

As time went on, I struggled to keep up with the classwork since the school I attended before wasn’t at the same level. I never considered myself smart, but could at least hold my own. Not so much at my new school. My Mom had a conference with the teacher, and I was given a choice: Repeat sixth grade or go to summer school.

There was NO way I was going to repeat sixth grade!

So, here I am, my very first summer in my new home, working on math problems in a hot classroom without air conditioning. I hate math and I hate summer school, but I hate the thought of going through sixth grade again even more. I would rather be at the public pool with the kids in my neighborhood. They’re all younger than me, but a lot more fun than the kids at school.  One of the girls in my class lives down the block and sneers at me when she sees me out playing with them. One day she yelled, “Why are you playing with those babies? You’re too old to be hanging out with them!”

Um, they are only a year or two younger than me, and I just turned twelve. I guess she feels I should be more mature like her since we were going to be in junior high in the fall. Maybe so, but once I pass my summer school classes (and I WILL pass them), I’m going to enjoy my new friends and be a kid at least until school starts again. And then I will be going to another new and bigger school where nobody will know I’m the “new kid” in the area. I’m a little excited about that!

I do miss my city friends, and at least Mom lets me call and keep in touch. Plus, we’ve gone back for a few visits since my church is in the old neighborhood. That hasn’t changed and I am glad about that. It’s nice when some things stay the same. I’ve been going to my church since I was born and we’re there every week. It’s where I learned about God, made friends I’ve known all my life, and I’m pretty fond of the adults there too. My best friend, Nancy, is in my Sunday school class, and sometimes I get to go to her house after church. I’m excited to invite her to my new house.

Well, I finished my assignment and it’s time to go home. Hopefully my brother will be on time picking me up because I hate waiting for him. He’s pokey at everything! Just one more week of summer school and then I’m FREE! I think I’ll go to the pool when I get home. We didn’t have pools in the city parks, so this has been a new adventure for me and I love it.

I guess this move wasn’t so bad after all. My new bedroom is great, my neighbors are nice, and I love how the trees bow over the road when I’m walking home from school. I still miss my dog but I’m sure he prefers the old neighborhood and gets plenty of attention. All the kids there love him.

I don’t think we’ll be moving again any time soon, but if we do, it better be after I graduate!