This is the memoir of a modern day Huckleberry Finn who delighted
in youthful romances and wild adventures. My earliest memories are
about living on top of a hill next to a crematory and across the
street from a cemetery during the Great Depression. The only people
I saw in the immediate area were the members of my family and Mrs.
Wagner, who lived in the only other house on the hill. A few times
a day I saw and spoke with the crematory workers, as well as the
bereaved who attended their loved ones' funerals. Occasionally I
witnessed the wanderings of Gypsies, beggars and hobos. Down from
the hill was my only playmate, Rosemary. For a two and three year
old, the hill was a fun-filled place to explore during the daylight
hours, but the evenings were different. When my father went out to
bar hop, it became so quiet that all we could hear were automobiles
driving by. Some cars slowed to a stop. My mother would say,
"Someone is out there snooping around." It was a time when the
cemetery held its dead while we held each other. Although the
nights were often frightening, I loved the place and my girlfriend,
Mary. However, in the spring of 1936 we had to leave our home so
the crematory could replace it with a chapel. After moving I still
longed to live on the hill. We soon relocated again, but farther
away. In January 1938 at the age of six, I heard the good news that
we were going home. It wasn't that we were moving back to the hill,
but to a place I loved even more, Bridgeport, Connecticut. Here is
where I was born, my Grandmother lived and what my family called
home. I thought the town and our living space were in the country,
not the city, and best of all, we were situated across the street
from the county jail. The well behaved inmates were made trustees
on Sunday mornings and given chores to do on our side of the wall.
I always went out to greet them and for the sixteen months we lived
there, they were among my best friends. When my grandmother died,
we moved to Ridgewood, New York. I wanted to live in the country,
but at the age of six I was not given a say in the matter so it was
city life for me. However, by age ten my wish to live in the
country became something of a reality when I discovered a nearby
railroad and a field of rugged terrain. We kids hopped moving
freight cars for short and long distances. In the field we captured
garter snakes. Before long we discovered another attractive
nuisance, a fenced in trolley yard. The barbed wire fence could not
keep us out. We hooked up the trolley cars to the overhead
electrical wires and with that power we drove them back and forth
in the yard to our hearts content. Before I reached eleven I had
fallen in love with four girls. Before thirteen I had dated two
others, but something was lacking. Kisses. It turns out that's
pretty much all I was seeking in this life. School was not a good
substitute for this desire, especially because of the beatings the
teachers gave me. The bullies didn't bother me since I could see
right through these weaklings and they knew it. They stayed clear
of me. On the other hand, I had to watch out for knife wielding and
hatchet throwing "crazies." World War II put fear into most
everyone, but it also brought us kids some fun. Air raid drills and
blackouts were exciting, as was tracking down Nazi spies. My sister
Judy and I discovered one living in our apartment building. Before
long spies were popping up all over Ridgewood. I believe I have
many interesting stories to tell about the 1930's and 40's. This
first of three memoirs will take the reader on a journey that for
me was dangerous, exciting, humorous and worthwhile. For instance,
one evening when I had just turned thirteen we built a fire. The
next day we returned to it, and came upon a terrible and startling
find. Let me take you on my dangerous journey.
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