Growing up in the town my dad grew up in, I always wondered what it was that made him want to stay put and raise his own children there.
Was it the fact that there were four different places to get a slice of pizza, five different places to get a mani-pedi or the fact that the Clintons were everybody’s neighbors?
While applying to colleges and getting ready to finally leave the nest that I felt cooped up in after years of never-ending high school drama and seemingly entitled people here and there, I couldn’t wait for the moment that I would leave The ‘Qua and never come back.
I lasted three weeks at school before I found an excuse to come home for a night. Granted, that excuse was the highly contagious Hand Foot Mouth Disease, but an excuse nonetheless.
I’ve been running errands with my dad every Saturday for as long as I can remember. And for as long as I can remember we drive by a group of four grown men standing at the bench on the corner of South Greeley Avenue outside of Wells Fargo every Saturday morning catching each other up on their weeks.
No matter what the weather, the four of them are always there. Last Saturday we drove by and it was maybe 20 degrees. But there they were all bundled up in a circle, blowing on their hands and drinking coffee. There is no such thing as a rain check when it comes to these men. They have a standing appointment every Saturday morning and there is nothing that will interfere with it.
I think that’s why my dad wanted to stay and keep us here. He wanted us to experience the sense of community that was so strong to so many, and to make lifelong friends like those four.
I just wish that I hadn’t been so frantic to get out and move on to something new. Now, I wish that I was still home every Saturday running those errands and driving by the benchwarmers - it’s what I call them.
Guys just being guys, drinking coffee and living life. Talking about their families, work, drama, whatever it is that men talk about. I’m not too familiar with that domain.
All I can do is picture myself and my four best friends from my childhood standing outside of Wells Fargo on the corner of South Greeley Avenue drinking coffee and talking about our future kids. What a time to be alive - or at least, what a time it will be.