A Different Side of Life (Speeding Cars & espoir)

[junebug]

Helen Kearns

Those who wish to sing, always find a song.
- Swedish Proverb

An array of sidewalk lamps glowed as the gentle pat of black paws walked step in step with Helen. She made a left onto Tanner Street and guided her puppy down the road towards community park. A surly looking trio with suspenders and black dress pants leaned against the hood of a red Rolls Royce car smoking rolled cigars and talking nearby. Helen kept her eyes on the road ahead of her and went in between two Ford modelsparked on the side as soon as a pair of headlights came into view.

Helen would be lying when she said she didn't feel a bit of discomfort when she walked the streets at night. This was her third time walking by herself, except she had Holly, her canine friend, this time. The black lab was vigorous and content to take a walk. Helen wasn't, but she wouldn't lie either when she said it felt somewhat nice to be out of the house. Often, Helen felt trapped in a neverending cycle between what her parents wanted her to be as a woman and who she really was.

She knew her parents would get mad at her for leaving the house without supervision, as the disappearance of Holly would guarantee she'd decided to defy them, but Helen continued to encourage and tell herself that she'd stand up for who she wanted to be. Helen wasn't interested in becoming a nurse like her mother or a construction engineer like her father- not that her parents would want her in a man's profession anyways. Helen wanted to travel, see the world, and be a part of something bigger.

Tawny Grove was a quaint suburban area where the middle class lived. The homes were typically refurbished before any of them went on sale and practically every single house in the community had been moved into. Helen had moved into a light green house with a brown tiled roof about ten years ago and she's lived in this part of town ever since, never been to the great beyond, like Las Vegas or San Francisco. It was just them and some unfriendly strangers; nothing quaint about it.

Upon arriving to the small park, Helen overheard a bunch of boys- teenagers, she believed- standing in the field, laughing and tossing a football back and forth. She stopped in her tracks to watch, mesmerized by the way they threw the ball, ran, and played around. They seemed so content with themselves; Helen wondered for a brief moment why her parents wouldn't allow her that sort of freedom. Their reasons seemed all too trivial until Helen saw an object spinning in the air.

She felt the large football collide with her temple and her body hit the grass. Helen moaned in pain and curled up, knee length skirt rubbing against the dirt. Her hands went to her forehead and she winced. It was tender to the touch and for a moment, she forgot that her hand was no longer holding Holly's leash until her dog began to sniff her and rub its nose against her face. She tried to sit up, but felt herself seemingly fade in and out of the world and laid back down.

"Ow, my head. It's throbbing, Holly. What was that?"

The black lab began to investigate the perimeter, more out of curiosity than anything else, tail beginning to wag relentlessly when she sensed some of her "friends" running towards her.