Peas in a pod. That’s what life in the city is like.
Each house has its own little yard. Maybe there are things in the yard for the kids to play on, maybe not.
Maybe the back yard has a dog chained up or in a cage, maybe not. And, maybe there are flower beds and shrubs, and maybe not.
What each house has are windows with mini blinds, all pulled shut. Those mini blinds are all white and all closed. The houses aren’t the same, but each house’s windows are.
Kids might play outside, in the streets. One kid came down the hill fast on a skateboard. Another little kid rode a bike too big for him, lucky to get out of the way of the oncoming car. Once or twice, there were screams of glee from some kids swimming in an inflatable pool a few houses down.
One old man across the street has ignored the watering ban. He mows a few feet of lawn, then sets the sprinklers on it. His is the only green lawn. Once he’s done primping, the neighborhood is quiet again.
Once, I saw a neighbor out cooking on a grill. Once, I saw an old lady crossing the street. Sometimes, I hear car doors slamming and then voices, but only for as long as it takes to walk the few feet from the driveway to the door.
Finally, the weather has cooled. I want to fling open all the windows and doors and let the outside in. I open my front door and look out. All the other doors and windows in the neighborhood are still shut. I left the front door open for a long while and never once saw another door open.
My house is cute, comfortable, old, unique and roomy. It is a world in itself, a private world despite the many windows. All those windows let in a lot of light during the day. It is a warm, soft light filtered through the white mini blinds. It is my world now.
My sanity comes from the back border of my little yard that is lined with five strands of barbed wire. Twice, I’ve seen the few cows pastured out there. They are quiet, fat, peaceful and graze on by. I can’t cross that barbed wire fence, can’t roam that pasture. But, it’s there just past my back yard. A little bit of country in the city. That pasture is why I rented this house. I knew it would keep me sane. It has to keep me sane between the trips out to the country to see my horse.
So close, all these houses. Yet, they are all shuttered up and closed off. Each contains their own little world for the peas that inhabit them.
Peas in a pod. That’s what life in the city is like.
