Entry #28

The Summer of Sixty Five
by Jude Ensaff


Each day I saw Jemma and little Louis as they walked home from school. I always ran ahead of them so I could holler from my window and wave. Truth be told I had a monster crush on Jemma; I’d set my mind on us marrying one day. But in the summer of sixty five three things happened to change that.

When Nate was born, my room moved to the other side of the house. From here I saw nothing but old Mrs Jefferson’s wall and those ugly old cables hanging low as my mood. There was no point in running home now; instead I tried talking to Jemma. Thing was I was never any good at talking, only running and waving.

Not like Mikey. He was a charmer. Of that I was sure, so when he took to walking Jemma back from school my heart broke. I felt I’d lost her forever, until that day when fate took hold. It was a Tuesday- that I remember. The August heat steamed up my window, hanging in the air like death itself. Should’a known, God was laughing at me.

It was the shriek that roused me - coming from outside my window. Louis holding tight onto Mrs Jefferson’s roof. Why, I don’t know. All I knew was that I had to act. I lost my sight pushing Louis to safety. My hand, a cable, a spark like hell-fire. Then nothing, just that silent grey wall and those ugly old cables.