Neighborhood Narrative: Old New Kid on the Block

Old New Kid on the Block

     I hopped off the bus reluctantly, feeling like I got off at the wrong stop. I looked around, bewildered.

     “I got to figure out a way to get to-,” I busted into a coughing fit as I was interrupted by a gust of black fumes that was coming from the bus as it pulled off in a loud screech. My eyes watered and I felt like there was a bonfire in my throat. After a minute, I waved most of the smoke away, sputtering as I managed to get the rest of the fumes out of my system.

     “Great,” I muttered as I doubled over. After I regained my composure, I wiped my eyes and looked up, to see an old aged man looking down at me.

     “Are you ok?” The man asked. Ambivalence was in his voice. He didn't really care if I was ok or not, it was just common curtsy.

     “Yeah,” I managed to reply. “Do you know where Auburn Street is?” The man scratched his long, white scraggly beard and finally pointed down the street.

     “Walk a few blocks and you should see it,” he said. I nodded thanks to the man and bounded down the street. I walked a couple blocks and just like the old man said, there was Auburn Street. As soon as I turned onto the street I was hit with a wave of awe. The neighborhood looked like something straight out of a fairy tale. How could a place like this be surrounded by a bunch of gas stations and shoddy apartments? The neighborhood was as tranquil as an autumn leaf falling to the ground. The lush green trees complemented and concealed some of the large brick houses.  I was surprised how the houses from down the block were twice as big because so many trees concealed their true size. Among the rest of the greenery were birds and squirrels. The occasional alley cat lurked around driveways and lawns. I could hear dogs barking from down the street and the sound of a basketball constantly hitting the pavement. Every once and awhile, all these sounds of the neighborhood were drowned out by the approaching of a train not too far away.

     Most of the residents seemed like nice people. Many of them were walking their dogs. And I guessed that some of the other residents were not too fond of strangers that stumbled into their neighborhood. If looks could kill, I would have dropped dead right at the spot. Even the dogs were growling at me like I was an extraterrestrial. I ignored the stares though and continued on my way. I passed a few houses with people sitting on their front porches, enjoying the warm weather. A few of the residents glanced at me and went back to whatever they were doing, clearly uninterested in me. I walked a few more blocks until I found the house I was looking for. I walked up to the steps leading to the house to find my friends sitting on his porch, palming a basketball.

     “About time,” he muttered.