RDP SATURDAY: FRINGE

 

There is a town, not far from where I live

where the residents have  names like Green and Smith and

Workenstein  and dogs name Champ and cats named Mittens and each family had

five kids who are exactly 2 years apart from each other in age.

 

In this town, not far from where I live, the people who live there  all  go  to church on

Sundays and the kids are never late for school. The boys can  pop wheelies on their

bikes and all of the little girls had easy bake ovens and on Fridays everyone  goes to the

drive in movies.

 

One day I drove  through this town, not far from where I live and decided to stop for gas.

 

I got out  of my jeep to stretch my  legs when a woman appeared behind me with her dog.

She looked at me and tried to smile at least three times.

 

” Where are  you from? ” she finally spat out.

 

Her dog wagged it’s tail and she pulled on it’s leash and told it to be still.

” Up the road. ” I said.

” Up the road? ”

” Yes ” I told her  ” up the road. ”

 

” Are you going back there? ”

I told her I would, eventually.

 

” Do you think more people like you will come from up the road? ”

” I’m pretty sure they will. ”

” Do you think they will go back, too?”

 

” No I told her. I don’t think they will. ”

 

She forced her frown up into a smile.  She pulled her dog away from me she walked back to the street and then she was gone.

 

I bought my gas, I drove through the town back to the highway and as I drove down one street and then another, I passed by identical  white houses and in front of each house there was  a dad in a green or gray cardigan sweater  watering  his  lawn and on each street boys were popping wheelies on their bikes and little  girls sat primly on swings eating their easy bake oven treats.

Each of them grimaced forced smiles at me…

and then they turned to dust, the way most dreams do just before you wake up.

 

Not far from where I live is a town where nobody has actually lived  and nobody really exists.