The Block Parties-Life on Argon 4

Current mood: distressed



Life on Argon Street 4

July the Fourth is upon us, and in our family that means lots of Bar-B-Que! Which reminds me of one of the cooler aspects of living the vida loca on Argon. Our neighborhood block parties! We only had a few over the years, but they started out, like the neighborhood itself, a somewhat fun and interesting event that took a rather nasty twist somewhere along the way.

The first block party was the best in my memory. We still had lots of young families with their kids and older original owners on the street, all congregating to bring food, fun and frivolity. We set up numerous grills, we brought the salads and the sweets. we generally had a good time. Cesar even set up an impromptu arcade in his driveway with pinball machines! Cesar and Sue were one of the coolest families on the street. Good Times. Especially when one of the guys (who was an avid hunter) brought ground Elk and Elk steaks to the BBQ and offered to share! Yum-O.

As the years passed, and neighbors started to change, some left Argon. They saw the writing on the wall much sooner than the rest of us, and the block parties stopped being quite so much fun. Strain was starting to make itself known among the neighbors. At the last block party, our neighbor to the north in the Bates Motel announces to my wife and me that his wife could not stand us. "Speak for yourself, John Alden" thinks I. (Still too much of a pussy to say it out loud) I knew Michael was speaking for himself. At this point in time, the animosity between our families was growing exponentially. At this same block party, our 2 year old disappeared when the youngest of the Bates kids drags him along while he is breaking into other neighbors homes while they are at the party. We spend one frantic hour searching for our lost toddler, only to discover him in the Anderson home when we see figures of someone moving through the front window, when no one should be at home. The whole tone of the street changed. The wonderful family that lived to the west of the Bates Motel across the street from us, chose to sell and locate elsewhere. They had had enough of the Bates kids jumping over their fence and swimming in their swimming pool without permission. Enough of the Bates teens next door sitting on their fence, smoking 'til all hours of the night and flicking their butts into the front yard. I talked to the Elk Hunter and asked why they were leaving. He saw the storm building, and wanted no part of it for his family. Too much liability. I should have listened better to what he was saying and followed his lead. What they say about hindsight is absolutely true.

And the biggest storm to hit Argon Street was about to strike...Jared.