Lost In Suburbia Redux

Tommy stood on the traffic island and he watched as a line of cars drove by. Even though he was getting up there in years, at most times his memory had remained sharp and clear. Unfortunately for him this wasn't one of those occasions. On this day Tommy seemed to be a bit confused. He had taken a walk, made a few unfamiliar turns , and he now found himself completely lost.

Trying desperately to get his bearings, he crossed the street and headed down Maplewood drive. Tommy knew that he had been on Maplewood before, but he couldn't recall when or with whom. It seemed that the curse of old age had finally caught up with him. As he walked down Maplewood Drive he began to observe the world around him in a way that he had never seen it before.

He first noticed a mother screaming at her child.

“Get your ass in this fucking house!” she yelled.

He felt such pity for the young boy, having to grow up like that. Under normal circumstances, Tommy might not have even noticed the verbal abuse, but today it struck him like a swift kick in the ribs.

He then saw a police car parked in the driveway of a nice home. The vehicles lights were flashing and a normal looking couple were being escorted from the house. The woman had bruises on her face and the man's shirt was covered in blood. Tommy could only wonder what had happened. Surely people who lived in such a nice place couldn't have resorted to acts of violence. Maybe the woman had just bumped her head and the man had tried to help her, getting his shirt bloody in the process. It was the only explanation that made sense to him at that moment.

Tommy watched for a few more minutes and then he proceeded down Maplewood, turning right onto Simmons street. As he strolled down Simmons street he noticed that the houses began to change in appearance. The homes had become much smaller and most of them seemed to be in desperate need of maintenance. The people who lived there weren't the same either. Their skin was much darker than that of their Maplewood neighbors. It was the first time in his life that he had ever noticed a physical difference in people. He was sure that the observation probably had something to do with the recent narrowing of his mental capabilities. Whatever the reason, it seemed silly to him that one group of people was living so much nicer than the other. He wondered how different the situation might be if they all lived and worked together as one.

As Tommy continued to amble aimlessly along Simmons Street, he received some strange looks. He even had a police car slow down as it passed by, but the officers gave him nothing more than a curious glance. No one really seemed to care that he was lost and wandering.

After the patrol car drove off without assisting him, Tommy made a turn onto Park Lane and walked for about 15 minutes, bringing him back into a more affluent neighborhood. He then passed by a school. It must have been lunch time because there were tons of children milling about. He noticed two kids in particular, dressed in black. The one boy lifted up his shirt to show the other one a pistol that was hidden in his belt. Tommy didn't know what to make of this because his mind was fuzzy. Perhaps the gun was just part of a science project. After all, what young kid would do anything violent on school grounds? Convincing himself that there was no danger, he continued with the quest to find his way home.

The next area that he arrived at was the city park. He saw some mothers gathered around a picnic table while their little children played on the swings and see-saws. There was also a middle aged man hiding in the bushes, intently watching the youngsters from afar. Even though his mind was still in a fog, Tommy wondered why a grown man was showing so much interest in the children. Equally perplexing was the fact that the stranger was nearly naked and he was taking pictures. Tommy assumed that the man was probably harmless and then he resumed his trek.

He ended up in the downtown area where he saw a well-dressed young man in a suit conversing with someone who looked like he hadn't seen a shower in a month. The man in the suit handed the dirty man some money, in exchange for a baggie with a tiny bit of white powder inside. It seemed like a lot of money to pay for a measly amount of sugar, especially when they were standing in the alley adjacent to a grocery store.

Next he passed the Veterans hospital, where a one legged gentleman smiled at him and asked him if he was lost. Of all the people whom he had passed, the one guy who was willing to help him was the one who had given so much already. It was really uplifting. Tommy declined the generous offer and he kept walking. He would never admit to being lost.

After trudging on a bit farther, he spotted Trotters Drive. He suddenly remembered where he was. Trotters Drive was his street. He walked until he found the yellow Victorian house where he had lived his entire life.

Sandy and David ran out of the door screaming with joy, “Tommy, where have you been?”

He was home, he was happy, and he never wanted to be lost again. He began to wag his tail and ran up to Sandy and began to lick her face.

“Down, boy!”, David commanded in a joyful voice. He clicked a leash on the dog's collar collar and led him into the back yard.

Tommy was glad to be back in the confines of his little back yard, far away from the strange world that surrounded him.