As much as I loved living with my grandparents, and considered that home; the stark truth was that it wasn't home. My mother floundered alot when we returned to Ohio. She worked in offices, and at a record store sometimes. But there was no way that we could live anywhere near my grandparents on what she was able to make. So we ended up moving way across town to Trotwood. Where my grandparents lived was in west Dayton, and I literally have no memory of anyone that wasn't black in that community. All of the shop keepers, teachers, police, firemen, city councilmen, anyone I came in contact with was black. However, Trotwood was a different story. Trotwood was a mixed community with struggling single mothers, and poor whites packed into these new 'apartment communities' that were cropping up. They weren't like high rise projects in big cities. These were sprawling buildings, with amenities and playgrounds, surrounded by woods on one side and a brand new shopping mall on the other. Back in the mid 70's malls were a new attraction, and everyone wanted to go to one. Living near one was the place to be, and what they used as a selling point for the apartments. All of the complexes where we lived had some woodsy sounding name; Cedar Hills, Salem Woods, Wood Creek, Timber Falls. The idea had been that homes had started being built out in that area, but the buying of them had slowed down, but there was plenty of land left. No one would predict the social changes that would have more and more people getting divorced and doing their own thing, and people leaving college and not wanting to get married and settle down right away. You had these people called 'young professionals' cropping up that just didn't want to be homeowners, so they needed nice places to live, that were affordable. Deals were negotiated for the remaining lots to build the complexes. So you had apartment living next to home owning. You had young professionals and single mothers dwelling in the same places. It could get complicated later.
About the same time the Vietnam war was winding down, and refugees were landing in the us. Believe it or not many of them found their way to Trotwood. Some complexes had many Laosian families in them who were struggling to assimilate and learn the language. I remember seeing them and being curious about them. I wondered what they thought of us. I had never seen an Asian person anywhere but on TV. I guess that's how alot of people felt about blacks too. I would go home and tell my friends that I had seen 'boat people.' They were full of questions. One kid asked me "Hey do they know Kung Fu?" Man, I don't know!
My mother had a friend from work who lived a few complexes down the road named Shelly. Their complex Whispering Woods seemed to be very popular for the refugees, as there were none in our complex. Shelly was a stylish white lady divorcee with two kids of her own. A daughter , Jenny who was in high school; and never at home, and a son Joey that was my age. They bonded over the obvious, being single divorced moms trying to survive and still have a little fun too. Mom would take me to their house for dinner sometimes, and after, she and Shelly would play cards and send Joey and I off to play. Joey was a solidly built freckleface red headded kid that didn't walk and talk like a kid. Joey was now the man of the house since his father moved out. His father told Joey to be strong, and he took it quite literally. That he had to lift the barbells his father left behind and act like a man. His father Tony, had gotten home from Vietnam an emotional powder keg. One moment he would be his regular self, the next he would get all quiet and dark then leave the house to drink himself blind, not being heard of for days. Shelly had had enough of Tony's moodiness, and not being able to hold a job anymore and kicked him out. Tony would often show up at the house drunk, demanding to see his kids. He'd throw half empty beer bottles at the windows and door till someone came down. Shelly would be hysterical, and Jenny never came home anymore so it left Joey to neutralize the situation before the cops got called. Sometimes he'd have to coax his father back into his truck to drive away before he got hauled off to jail. Joey sometimes in his pajamas and sneakers holding on to the steering wheel helping his father get back to the rooming house where he lived. Joey would call Shelly to come and get him in the morning with his school clothes and books, and a sandwich for breakfast. Jenny was 9 years older than Joey and in high school, and a looker like her mother. Jenny had been Joey's best friend since he was a baby, and he loved being with her. Jenny never treated Joey like a bother, and always let him tag along with her when she was watching him. When her mother wasn't home and she has to watch Joey, she'd have boys over and make out with them on the sofa when she'd think Joey was playing in his room. Joey would sneak downstairs and watch them go at it. He thought it was better than watching TV. When Jenny didn't have a date she and Joey would watch movies on TV and eat jiffy pop. Jenny loved Steve McQueen movies. She couldn't stop gushing once the movie was over about how handsome and strong he was. Joey had to be like Steve McQueen too.
The day after Shelly put Tony out, Jenny and Shelly had a big fight. "How can you do that to dad! Don't you love him!" the hysterical daughter screamed. Shelly composed her emotions to be strong for her kids. "Yes I love your father, but I can't watch him die. I won't do it Jenny." she said cooly. Jenny packed her stuff while Joey was sleeping one night and moved in with her no good 24 year old fry cook boyfriend Jett. A drunk that rode a motorcycle, and had a thing for Jenny that she couldn't seem to get away from. She moved in with him to get away from the chaos at home, but Jett was a carbon copy of Tony without the schrapnel. She wouldn't see it till many years later. Jenny's absence affected Joey profoundly. He thought if he was just strong and handsome enough she would come back. So he made it a point to lift dads hand weights everyday and go running. He had a large physique for a child, he could and often was misconstrued to be a bully because of his stature; but that was hardly the case. Some older kids in the complex tried to clown Joey about his red hair one day when he was riding his bike a day after one of his father's classic late night episodes. Joey snapped and rode after the kids, and caught one that was Jenny's age knocking him to the ground with his bike, then pummelling him in the face till it was bloody. Since then Joey was seen as a problem child, and a menace; though that was an isolated incodent. Seeing Joey for the first time, you saw all this swirling around his freckled face, and forced smile. "Hey." is all he said the first time we met, then looked around the room. "Go entertain yourselves kids." Shelly suggested making a scooting motion with her hand while lighting her cigarette. We obeyed and went upstairs to play.
Joey decided he wanted to be a boxer when he got older so he would have to start his training now. He drafted me to be his coach. I didn' t know a thing about coaching than what I saw in the movies. Joey wanted to wear a sweatshirt and sweatpants and go running and wanted me to run with him. I would pretend to run with him, then duck behind a tree. A few minutes later he'd come running back mad that I wasn't behind him. "I don't want to be a boxer, YOU do! I don't want to be out here running around!" I yelled. He laughed at me, and agreed. I mean we were only 7, how much training do you need? After that we didn't do boxing stuff anymore. We just played with his racecars in his room and colored. Joey had taken to slugging me in the arms when he got frustrated or when he felt like it, and it hurt alot. I almost cried once he hit me so hard. I never told on him, because I could only imagine what he would do to me if he got in trouble with his mother.
One day when I went over with my mom and we were banished to playland Joey informed me that he wouldn't hit me anymore. I was relieved! " Instead if hitting you when you make me mad I'm going to kiss you instead." I was confused. I thought kissing was something you did when you weren't mad at someone. I didn' t know what to make of the whole idea. I just had to do my best to stay on his good side, which was nearly impossible. But as you would expect the inevitable happened. I made him mad about something. Now, in my mind when he told me he would kiss me, I thought he would peck me on the cheek. This is not at all what happened. Joey had bunk beds in his room. Why, Im not sure. But he grabbed me and pushed me down onto the bottom bunk, and pinned me underneath him. Then he opened his mouth and stuck his tounge into mine and slowly moved it around in my mouth. His body was heavy to me, and hard all over. His arms were strong, and his hands were hot around my wrists that he had pinned to my sides. When he was finished he let my arms go and sat up and looked at me laying there bewildered. He smiled wide and laughed. I didn't know what to think. I had never felt anything like that before. I was excited and confused because he had done it to me when he was angry at me. Joey went back to playing with his racecars, and warned 'You better not beat me again.' I was in a conundrum. I had experienced something that was so exciting that I wanted it again, but kissing was something that I shouldn't be doing. Joey and I were only 7, but he seemed to know what he was doing in detail. How could that be? He was a kid. Joey looked different to me after that. Like a tiny man. My stomach flipped and flopped. I kept replaying what he did in my head. My body felt hot all over. I had to be cool like he was, and act like it was no big deal. But I wanted it to happen again. So I did the obvious, and tried to beat him at racing. He won two rounds, and then his car got stuck on one of the tracks and I lapped him and won. He dropped his controller and stared at me, not saying anything. I waited for him to throw a fit the way he usually did. But he didn't. He just sat there staring at me. I got a little scared for a moment, then he spoke. "That doesn't count, my car broke down. I have to fix it and we have to go again." He picked up his little green car and began tinkering under it. I waited for the verdict, and he gave the thumbs up and placed his car back at the starting line. He counted down, and then the race was back on, over the loops and figure eights, the two cars tore around the tracks. He would slow down to let me catch him, then pull away from me. He'd try to knock my car off the track when the laps wore down. The last lap was the most heated one. He lagged back to let me catch him at the beginning, and then I pulled ahead. Before I knew what happened my car was crossing the finish before his. I had won. Usually the moment I crossed he'd let out a yell. "Nooooooooooo." He'd bellow. But today not so. Joey calmly put down his controller and looked at me. He stood up and stretched. "You remember what I told you about beating me?" I set my controller down not sure what to expect. "Yeah." I said looking down. "Well now I'm mad you beat me." he grumbled pulling my arm to yank me to my feet. He grabbed both my arms at the elbow and backed me to the bunk bed again. He half tacked me and pinned me under him again. My hands were trapped under my butt this time, and his hands were on either sides of my face. He paused and looked down and me, then again, opened his mouth and inserted his tounge into mine to make slow circles that set me on fire all over. This time his body was rubbing against me, making me feel strange in ways I had never felt before. He'd stop kissing me and lick my neck, then go back to kissing. He'd bit my lips, which sent shivers down my spine. Suddenly I worried about getting in trouble for doing this. The kiss was taking a long time, it seemed we were laying on the bed for hours, but I'm sure it was a few minutes. Joey pulled his face back, and looked at me again. "You're beautiful." he said and sat up. I layed there breathing hard and not knowing what to say. I heard my mom calling my name up the stairs and snapped back to reality. I sat up and made sure my clothes were straight, and yelled back that I was coming. "See you later." I said to Joey as I opened the door wider to leave. He just laid back on his bed, tucking his hands behind his head, grinning.
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