Life was an adventure waiting to be discovered, for me and my brother growing up in Lorain, Ohio. And summer time was ours to explore the elements of the world. So when I was six and my brother was five, we learned how to play with fire. Nine-year old Ricky Hodges from up the street was kind enough to share his secret with my brother by introducing him to a book of matches. My brother so excited about the possibilities, that he couldn’t wait to show me his new found discovery. Late one evening, before the streets lights blinked on, the three of us journeyed to that magic place of a backyard with a book of matches, a slice of cheese and a thick cube wooden box. Tommy calling me by my family nickname said,
“Tee, we got something to show you!”
And boy was I surprised when Ricky lit a match and dropped it into the box, and that slice of cheese began to melt, and a small glow of orange flames danced around it. Soon the cheese was nothing but a dark smudge with a cloud of smoke puffing up out of it.
Now back then, I was a huge fan of the cartoon Tom and Jerry. I was so captivated by those Tom and Jerry chase scenes that I would lean against the couch or stretch out on the living room floor, long after the show was over and try to analyze the black face characters that Tom always ended up being. Well after seeing that cheese melt in the backyard, a light bulb clicked on in my head.
“So that’s what happens on Tom and Jerry,” I thought.
I congratulated myself on figuring out those dark smoking scenes of my favorite cartoon. But I had to test my theory and I knew just what to do. I asked Ricky if I could have his book of matches, and oddly enough he said yes.
Later that evening after Ricky had gone home, and the night sky was painted black, I took my crayons and my sketch pad to the back of the house and into my bedroom. I was glad my Mom and just about everyone else had decided to wind down in the front room. First I drew a picture of Tom the cat. Then I colored him gray. I then took my book of matches and struck a match. Lightly I touched the paper fully expecting Tom to jump to life with a smoldering crown, instead flames leapt from the page in reach of me. Not able to stand the energy of the heat, I threw the burning Tom onto my bed and made a mad dash for the living room. Instead of running straight to Mom to inform her that my bed was on fire, I ran for the can of Pledge dusting spray that waived at me from the top of my parents floor model television. Back into the bedroom, I aimed the spray can for the flames. Now at this time, in the middle of the heat of the summer, my mother’s baby brother was down visiting us from Lexington, Kentucky. He just so happened to be coming out of the adjoining bathroom as I was aiming that can of Pledge for the flames. I sprayed and he yelled;
“Val (my mother’s name), look what TeeDee (another family nickname for me) has done now!”
But he really didn’t have to holler so loud because as he yelled, the smoke alarm went off, and my brand new newborn baby sister in the next room across the hall, started crying. Mom was in the bedroom in no time. She grabbed one of my pillows and started fighting the flames.
“Go get Kato, go get Kato!” She screamed to her brother, so that he could get my father who goes by the name Kato, though his given name is Thomas, and who was visiting with a neighbor across the street.
Me, I was just frozen with fear. I don’t think I was scared so much of the fact that I almost burned the house down, but more so I was terrified because my uncle was going to get my father, and I just couldn’t stand the thought of the beating that was about to come. I didn’t move. I watched my mother smother those flames as she yelled through the screeching of the fire alarm and the crying baby. I didn’t move when she ran out of the room and back in to the room with of bucket of water to drown the burnt mattress. I guess she wanted to make sure that the fire was really out. My Dad and my uncle came back. Dad went to the baby first and calmed her tears. He then stepped into the crime scene, my room, and asked if we were ok. He handed the baby to Mom, and invited me to take a walk with him. Well I had no choice, and I followed his lead out of the bedroom, down the hall and to the right, through the living room and out the door. It was a warm night that night. Fireflies danced around me as I followed my father down the steps of the front porch.
“Well I guess my spanking comes in the front yard tonight,” I thought.
But no, we didn’t stop. Down the driveway and to the left, I walked next to my father for a good while before he spoke to me.
“Where did you get the matches,” he asked, “and who taught you how to light them? Does Tommy know how to make a fire too?”
On and on the questions came. He finally asked me if I understood what could have happened to everyone if my uncle didn’t catch me when the fire started. I didn’t really understand yet, but I said I did. My Dad decided to lecture me anyway about the dangers of playing with fire and how scary it can be to lose someone you love. I think it finally sunk in the next day when I walked outside and saw the burnt mattress in the front of the yard, waiting for the garbage truck. Of course my two week punishment away from my playmates and stuck in the house helped me to realize, that yeah playing with fire really wasn’t fun. And oh, I think it finally hit me too... Tom and Jerry were cartoons and they weren’t real!
Nefertiti
July 22, 2009
“Tee, we got something to show you!”
And boy was I surprised when Ricky lit a match and dropped it into the box, and that slice of cheese began to melt, and a small glow of orange flames danced around it. Soon the cheese was nothing but a dark smudge with a cloud of smoke puffing up out of it.
Now back then, I was a huge fan of the cartoon Tom and Jerry. I was so captivated by those Tom and Jerry chase scenes that I would lean against the couch or stretch out on the living room floor, long after the show was over and try to analyze the black face characters that Tom always ended up being. Well after seeing that cheese melt in the backyard, a light bulb clicked on in my head.
“So that’s what happens on Tom and Jerry,” I thought.
I congratulated myself on figuring out those dark smoking scenes of my favorite cartoon. But I had to test my theory and I knew just what to do. I asked Ricky if I could have his book of matches, and oddly enough he said yes.
Later that evening after Ricky had gone home, and the night sky was painted black, I took my crayons and my sketch pad to the back of the house and into my bedroom. I was glad my Mom and just about everyone else had decided to wind down in the front room. First I drew a picture of Tom the cat. Then I colored him gray. I then took my book of matches and struck a match. Lightly I touched the paper fully expecting Tom to jump to life with a smoldering crown, instead flames leapt from the page in reach of me. Not able to stand the energy of the heat, I threw the burning Tom onto my bed and made a mad dash for the living room. Instead of running straight to Mom to inform her that my bed was on fire, I ran for the can of Pledge dusting spray that waived at me from the top of my parents floor model television. Back into the bedroom, I aimed the spray can for the flames. Now at this time, in the middle of the heat of the summer, my mother’s baby brother was down visiting us from Lexington, Kentucky. He just so happened to be coming out of the adjoining bathroom as I was aiming that can of Pledge for the flames. I sprayed and he yelled;
“Val (my mother’s name), look what TeeDee (another family nickname for me) has done now!”
But he really didn’t have to holler so loud because as he yelled, the smoke alarm went off, and my brand new newborn baby sister in the next room across the hall, started crying. Mom was in the bedroom in no time. She grabbed one of my pillows and started fighting the flames.
“Go get Kato, go get Kato!” She screamed to her brother, so that he could get my father who goes by the name Kato, though his given name is Thomas, and who was visiting with a neighbor across the street.
Me, I was just frozen with fear. I don’t think I was scared so much of the fact that I almost burned the house down, but more so I was terrified because my uncle was going to get my father, and I just couldn’t stand the thought of the beating that was about to come. I didn’t move. I watched my mother smother those flames as she yelled through the screeching of the fire alarm and the crying baby. I didn’t move when she ran out of the room and back in to the room with of bucket of water to drown the burnt mattress. I guess she wanted to make sure that the fire was really out. My Dad and my uncle came back. Dad went to the baby first and calmed her tears. He then stepped into the crime scene, my room, and asked if we were ok. He handed the baby to Mom, and invited me to take a walk with him. Well I had no choice, and I followed his lead out of the bedroom, down the hall and to the right, through the living room and out the door. It was a warm night that night. Fireflies danced around me as I followed my father down the steps of the front porch.
“Well I guess my spanking comes in the front yard tonight,” I thought.
But no, we didn’t stop. Down the driveway and to the left, I walked next to my father for a good while before he spoke to me.
“Where did you get the matches,” he asked, “and who taught you how to light them? Does Tommy know how to make a fire too?”
On and on the questions came. He finally asked me if I understood what could have happened to everyone if my uncle didn’t catch me when the fire started. I didn’t really understand yet, but I said I did. My Dad decided to lecture me anyway about the dangers of playing with fire and how scary it can be to lose someone you love. I think it finally sunk in the next day when I walked outside and saw the burnt mattress in the front of the yard, waiting for the garbage truck. Of course my two week punishment away from my playmates and stuck in the house helped me to realize, that yeah playing with fire really wasn’t fun. And oh, I think it finally hit me too... Tom and Jerry were cartoons and they weren’t real!
Nefertiti
July 22, 2009
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