Auburn Street

The recollection of her along with all other fond memories of my youth had yet to slip my mind. My son-in-law sent me to an old-people home to die but it’s not like I even remember where I am half the time. I know that this isn't his fault that's for sure; I'm old and that's the course life takes. What really hurt was leaving the house that both my wife and I dreamed of, worked towards, raised children in, fixed random doorknobs in, and slept together in. Yes, I remember like it was yesterday riding my blue Gios bike and Jane’s red De Rosa down Auburn Street. She stopped in front of the ancient Auburn house known to the adults as the old Wilder's house. He was an old fool who between Jane and I were too scared to scare, God forbid we ever say that out loud risking being called chicken the rest of the week. Looking at the old Victorian house with all its chipped paint and rotten wood she said so boldly.

“I'm going to live in that house, get married, and have a whole bunch of kids,” that was about the girliest thing I have ever heard. 

“You're nuts, why would anyone wanna marry you?” I questioned jokingly.

"When I get my hands on you James Baker you're gonna wish you were dead,” she warned as sternly as a twelve-year-old could muster.

 So plans for pranking some old fool and having a pop at the pharmacy to talk about our latest victory filled our days. This was regular for us, I guess you can say this is where it all started. I, the brainless twelve-year-old thought nothing of it. She was never a girly girl, probably because she was the only girl in her family. I liked that about her. She wasn't scared of bugs, spiders, snakes, and she wouldn’t cry when she scraped her knee. But little did we know high school would eliminate childish thoughts and fears and replace them with new fears. If you told us that time was a person, please also direct me in their direction so I can beat the heck out of them and demand to be reimbursed for our summers of freedom that we took for granted. Now Blackford High School is full of jerk jocks, miserable teachers, and food that is sure to give you a heart attack. The only bearable part of the day was that Jane, the most amazing person, had almost every class together. Boy, we sure gave our boring teachers a headache. While developing a taste for life, and setting my heart set for the future I observed her grow more beautiful and annoying every day. Not going to say she didn't think the same of me but we had our hearts set on getting out of this bump town and seeing this corrupted world our parents were always telling us about. She was stuck in space, always blabbering about the stars and how black bodies absorb 100 percent of electromagnetic radiation. My dreams were more down-to-earth, I aspired to become a mechanical engineer for NASA. Always looking out for her, I found myself under her car she got for her 16th birthday figuring out what was wrong with it since it made a funny noise. By the end of the night, I found this to be baloney; nothing was wrong in the first place, but she needed an excuse for her father to stay out longer at night. She wanted to bring out her telescope to examine the stars, which by the way, she could spend all night doing it if you let her. Realizing that way back, I admired her as she would ramble about some rock millions or billions of miles away. And at that moment I knew she was my best friend, but; and I might just be in love with her. And that's just what happened. She was in love with me, and I was with her. Senior year was the last chapter of many adventures; last of just being friends with your best friend, last year of living with critical parents, and last of school. All we knew was that we were going to be Aladin, Jasmin, and the carpet which manifested itself as her 1987 El Camino. Skipping graduation and my valedictorian speech in which I left for the salutatorian to affirm our life is only beginning, so wake up. Vegas was our first stop, one of the single most important days of my life. 

Coming down the aisle in the most breathtaking moment ever, I stood in awe as Jane strode toward me. I a nervous wreck smiling beamingly as she came down towards Elvis and me. After our unforgettable time in Vegas, Arizona state would be our permanent residents for the next four years. We had both made it into Grand Canyon University, our first university choice during freshman year. Though it wasn't easy sharing an apartment with people and tuition payments, we chased down our passions: With her eyes set onto the stars and my hands on the ground, we made it. In due time graduation came again and so did our parents who were still furious about skipping high school graduation, we owed it to them to at least show up to this graduation. Out of reluctance, we agreed, but the same day we made our way to Houston, Texas. More specifically NASA, I remember right before entering the glass doors.

 I felt the tug of my hand as she stopped confused, she said, “remember the old Auburn house?” 

“Yeah, the one you were too scared to go into?”

She laughed and softly whispered “I want it. Promise me after we live life you retire with me there.” I looked at her like I was seeing her for the first time as I took in everything around us. The chirp of the birds, the light spring breeze, the sun's morning rays, the smell of fresh-cut grass, and finally her, with brown knee-high boots, and white long sleeves collared shirt, under a brown dress mid-thigh with stockings, and huge hooped earrings. All of which was socially fashionable. She argued to my comments about her fashion sense she developed over the years of seeing every day of my life. ‘Oh, what happened to the girl who despised dresses,’ I would tease. 

 “Yes, yes a thousand millions times yes!” I exclaimed, finally gaining my senses and picking her up and twirling her around for everyone to see, yelling “I love you!"

 Walking out of one of America's most respected buildings, employed and ecstatic together, we thought it couldn't get any better. We were wrong; next summer our twin boys finally arrived, after 9 months of weird food obsessions and swollen feet. The years carried our little content family and we were as overjoyed as we could be. The following year, the most wonderful Christmas present stubbornly arrived, a baby girl's cries rang through the hospital halls on Christmas night. Houston had been good to us for the time being, but our family filled our apartment with twins and newborn who grew faster than our potted plants. On July 4th, triplets were born, Jane insisted on seeing the fireworks and she deserved to be selfish, against my protest.  As much as we loved Houston, our tiny apartment didn't., Auburn Street was our next to perfect home. Both Jane and I taught at Blackford High School, the same high school we ran out of 19 years ago. I guess her dream came true and I was all the happier to be a part of it: marriage, a house full of kids, and old Wilders house down on Auburn street. 

‘Now that I think of it, I remember everything… I thought with a light chuckle looking out the window with his eyes that have seen and lived the life of a once young man. The creases of life evident, in the lines of his face. At times, life had not been good to him, erasing his memories of a wonderful life. But this he surely knew, if he had to go back and do it over a thousand times again, exactly the same, he would.