The Good Old Days

The Good Old Days

I miss those summer nights. Our group changed over time. At night, we played capture the flag, hide in seek, or sardines in the dark. We spent the day at the pool. We went to Stewart’s Shop and The Pizza Shop. I remember one time we had a storm. It was me, my friends: Blake, Heather. We ran through the storm to my house and spent the day there. We took Heather home because she was on the younger side. She got me in loads of trouble!

Her mom was a little on the crazy side. So babysitting made me think grape juice was beer in her sister's cup or taking a bike where a dog chased us one time. I went ahead to get away and she wasn't as fast. These days were called my ’stupid days.’

When the boys joined and more people joined, the childhood got better. We were out late. We went home for dinner and right back out. Meet me at the park. That's when dating started.

Puppy Love. Heather's brothers, Nick and Greg, came to visit their mom for the summer. A few times they brought a friend of theirs. He was so cute. His name was Ryan. By this time, we had three in our group, with Ryan added. Somehow he fell in love with one of the girls in our group. Her name was Ashlee. They were great together. There was a rumor Greg liked me but was never confirmed. We all were together every day. Sometimes I would hear them coming back from the park from my bedroom window.

I remember I was going to bed and I heard talking. So I went to my window lookout and saw Nick, Heather, and Ryan, making fun of me. They didn't know I could hear them but I could. It was Nick mostly. I heard Heather yell at Nick and said, "Kelly is nice''. As Ryan said, " yeah she is". We were all just kids.

When Nick and Greg went back to their father's at the end of summer, it was heartbreaking for Ashlee because Ryan was leaving. They had a long distance relationship. I remember one day after school we got off the bus and Ryan was supposed to come, but was told he couldn't. So we went to Ashlee's house.

Somewhere down the road, we recruited another friend, Ashlee. She was also on the younger side. I was the oldest one in the group. By this time, we had most of the development kids in our group. We saw each other in school. I hung out with one of the other Ryan's. Heather's mother had three babies as more time went by. Since I was the oldest, I was asked to babysit again. I separated from the group as I got older. We keep in contact through Facebook.

I got with another group which was fun and turned bad. It was like we were in high school again. Some didn't want to grow up. I got an emotional attack which landed me in a hospital and missed my brother's wedding. I missed the childhood group. A lot of us are now married, have children, and different lives. Ashlee didn't end up with Ryan but she is still friends with him. To be young again. I would go back to the pool days, Stewart's Shops, and Pizza Shop.

I love the life I have now. I have a great husband, an amazing farm, a supportive family, and great friends. Some of the childhood people reached out to me for help. Just shows how much trust we had. We are always there for each other. Friends Forever is a true bond that can't be broken.

By Kelly Vedder