A Force of Four

The first days of summer.

The heat, the humidity, the feeling of endless nights of stars and lightening bugs takes me back to 1976 and a summer spent in Dallas.

My sister and I had been driven across the south to stay with our Uncle and Aunt for the summer. They had two daughters, and that is where this tale begins.

After being dropped off, we began the summer of lightheartedness, entertainment and laughter...lots of it.

We stayed up late and slept the morning away. We played board games and watched a great deal of game shows and "Father Knows Best".  On a side note: this is also the summer I read "Gone With the Wind" for the first time.  I hope you know how long that book is.

The best part of these days, or so we thought, was that we spent the daylight hours on our own.
The cousins and us together were a force of four.

Our uncle, whom we called The Professor, was an endless wealth of trivia and informative facts we would later recall as actually true.  He was full of conspiracy theories that have since come to light.  We loved him then, and still love him. He resides in Glory today.  Later in life he described himself as our children's "avuncular grandfather".  And he was.

Our aunt could then, and now, light up the room. I remember thinking she must be the person in the world who has fun everywhere she goes.  She introduced us that summer to sopaipilla's and honey, and bean dip.  We learned about Hollywood gossip and lives of the rich and famous, and we loved every minute of it.  She is as beautiful today as she was then, and still having fun. She is also the aunt that took us to see Jaws for the first time...that makes her a rock star in my book.


We sank into the easy rhythm of summer that did not require much effort.  The four of us were 13 yrs old and under.  We played outside, we laid around inside.  We rode bikes and walked all around the neighborhood. We swam at the local pool and bought candy from a dime store.  It was the days of freedom and fun and we were living it up.

We didn't think about strangers or hidden danger, we simply had fun.

 Throughout the summer we attended church with our family and the week of Vacation Bible School came up. The big discussion was how we were going to get to church every day for a week while the adults were working.  Their church was in downtown Dallas. Nowhere near their house.

The decision was made that we were old enough to ride the city bus downtown, get off and walk to the church building, attend Bible school, and then repeat the route back home.  Then, it was a 30 minute ride to the destination.

We were ecstatic, to say the least. So, every morning for five days, we were given change for the bus, and money to buy lunch at the church cafeteria.  Our feet probably did not touch the sidewalks of downtown Dallas we were riding so high on the endless possibilities of a free hand and flexibility to choose our daily activities.

Please keep in mind:  we were 13 and under.  And we loved every second of it.

There is something to be said for responsibility. When it is given and you are expected to pull it off,  you find it within yourself to fulfill the expectation.  Or at least we tried.

We rode the bus. We paid attention to the stops. We gathered our belongings and each other.  We returned home as expected every day.

Maybe today this would be abhorrent for parents to even consider. Maybe their heart stops at the mere thought of their children getting on a city bus and taking a ride by themselves. But that summer we all grew a little taller, inside and out.  We felt good about ourselves and our adventures.  We felt confidence in ourselves begin to take root and sprout.  Funny thing about responsibility placed on your shoulders...you start to believe that you can actually attain the goals that are placed in front of you.

Parents, please give your children some sort of responsibility.  They need it. They probably want it. Don't do everything for them and allow them a way out.  It stifles them as they get older and we don't need any more irresponsible adults.

Our cousins and us forged a bond that summer.  It made us more than cousins. It made us sisters. After all, when you eat, sleep, listen to Barry Manilow and adventure your way through the summer, there is a bond.

Summer is the time for fun.  Have some fun and make those memories.  It is your responsibility.

And to  my sister and the cousins--may we never grow too old to have fun and ride the bus by ourselves.