They all went down in the gulley by the creek to play. There was Mike, who was eleven, and the rest, Billy, Frankie, Steve and Brian. It was early in the morning and school had been out for the summer. They all were looking forward to getting as much junk as they could to build their forts up again, the remains of which only partially lasted through the winter. They found lots of old boards in the town dump up on the other side of the gulley. They also found lots of neat pictures which they would save and look at when they got their forts built up again.
The old willow tree was the best place for their forts because it was right over the creek that ran through the gulley and they could build the forts up in the tree where no one could bother them so they thought.
The first day they started they didn’t get much done and then Mike’s father whistled for them to come in for supper. Mike didn’t have a thing to eat all day he was so wrapped up in his work. When he got home his mother scolded him for being so dirty and his father chewed him out for leaving the hammer and nails down in the gulley at the forts. Mike could sense that his father had worked hard all day so he said softly,
“Sorry Daddy. I’ll go down and get the stuff after supper.”
“Well don’t do it again,” his father scolded, “That’s the only hammer I got you know. Things cost money these days and I work hard all day for money to support this family.”
The next morning Mike got up early and met Billy at the edge of the gulley. They went down to the willow tree and started to decide where to build their forts. Mike found just about the highest place in the tree and Billy chose a place almost right under him. They worked for about an hour and soon Frankie, Steve and Brian showed up.
“You guys don’t have any tools?” Mike asked almost scoldingly.
“My daddy won’t let me use his hammer or nothin’” said Frankie, “Can’t we use yours?”
Mike said, “Yeah, I guess so, but be careful with it. It cost money you know.”
They all looked at him with a weird look like they didn’t know what money was.
They each began their forts using the old boards and pieces of metal that they found and had dragged over from the dumps. Billy was making a floor out of long thin boards and he was very proud of it. Steve’s fort was being made over the creek and he had hole in the floor that he could use as a toilet. He also had some dirty pictures that he found at the dumps hanging on the branches. Frankie had his fort near a pear tree that was beside the willow tree. He had an old box filled with pears that he used to bomb any foreigners that came near the forts. He also had a sling-shot and an old broom handle he used for a spear. Eventually we all had spears. Brian was sort of quiet most of the time and he soon couldn’t play with them anymore because his father the butcher said they were too violent for his son to play with.
A whistle blew in the distance. It was Mike’s father calling them home for supper. Mike sat down at he table.
“You haven’t eaten all day” said his mother. Mike just sat there for a minute and said,
“I know. You should see the tree forts we’re building in the gulley Dad.”
His father gazed at him and said, “Too bad you can’t work that hard around the house.” He turned and said to his wife, “You know, I worked all day and didn’t get anything done. That place where I work is like a nursery. They’re all a bunch of jerks acting like kids all the time.”
“Some people never grow up.” his wife sighed.
“Mommy can I go out now? I’m all through eating.” Mike asked after waiting for them to stop talking about what seemed ridiculous to him.
“Ok.” she answered.
Mike and all his friends talked about their tree forts all night until it was time to go to bed.
The next morning Mike woke up the same time his father did and said goodbye and then ran down in the gulley to his tree fort. The rest of the guys were there. Billy was working hard on the floor he was perfecting. Steve was looking at some dirty pictures and Frankie was throwing pears at a dog. Mike began working some more on his tree fort. He was in the highest part of the tree so he was always watching what everyone else was doing below him. Billy began saying dirty words and calling Frankie a little dink. Frankie giggled and shot a pear at him. They all started screaming dirty words and shooting pears and soon the whole tree was shaking with screaming laughter. Before they knew it another day of fort building had passed.
When Mike got home there was company at his house. He hated company but went in to get something to eat anyway. A bunch of people were sitting in the living room drinking booze and laughing. Mike heard a few obscene words and then the laughing stopped. They knew he was listening so he went upstairs. The giggling and dirty words continued until the whole house was shaking with screaming laughter. He thought of the guys down in the tree forts and tried to listen for a new dirty word so he could tell them all the next day in the gulley.
In the morning Mike went down to the willow tree and met the other guys. They started to work on their forts and soon Steve had to take a shit. He went up to the top of the willow tree and stuck his ass out.
“Hey you guys, look.” he said. The all looked at him and watched as the shit fell and plopped in the stream. One by one they climbed to the top of the tree and tried to pee or shit.
“Look out below.” Frankie yelled as the stream gulped down his bright yellow urine.
When it was time for supper Mike heard his father whistle. He didn’t wash his hands before he sat down at the table. His father poured himself a beer and Mike watched as his father gulped it down.
The next day down at the willow tree forts they all decided to go to the dumps to get some more junk for building. Steve found and old chair with no seat in it. This will be perfect for a toilet he thought. Mike found some more dirty pictures. Bill didn’t like the pictures around. His parents always told him not to go in the dumps and maybe that was why. They were strict Catholics. All the guys soon were back at the tree forts and Steve showed them the toilet he had set up.
“Look at this cool John I made.” he said. They all gazed at the toilet with a disappointed smile.
Their forts were nearly finished by the end of that day. Mike’s father whistled for them to come home.
When Mike got in the kitchen his mother had just come back from the bank.
“Here’s the money you wanted for the new addition on the house dear.” she said. Mike’s father took it and began to count it while Mike watched. “Son, this is for that new playroom I said I was going to build.” Mike just stared at the money and wondered how he was going to build a playroom with those pieces of paper. He could get anything he needed in the dumps.
After supper Mike went up in his room which he shared with his 22 year old brother. He accidentally saw some dark brownish green stuff on his brothers desk. He looked at it closer. It looked like shit to him and he wondered why his brother had a little plastic bag of shit. Maybe it was for one of his college biology courses he thought.
The next day in the tree fort all the guys decided to go to the dumps to find some more stuff they could use to build with. They found everything they needed there including a few more dirty pictures. They found some long planks that they used like sky roads in the tree to travel from one guys fort to another. Billy found an old car seat that was great for jumping on from up in the tree. When they came back to finish their forts with this new junk they found all the forts were being wrecked by some big guys. Mike just stared as he saw many weeks of work all smashed. He screamed, “Don’t do it. Don’t do it.” He picked up some old dry shit and threw it desperately at them. The big guys just laughed and then took off. All the forts were ruined.
A whistle sounded up near their homes. It was Mike’s father calling him in for supper. Mike sat down at the table with a gloomy look on his face. His mother sensed that something was wrong. “What’s the matter with you?” she asked. Mike’s father quickly answered the question with his grief for the day.
“I had that job I was working on you know, laying near the garbage and that idiot Sam the cleaning man must have thrown it out. That was a weeks work god dammit.” Mike just sat there and thought of his wrecked tree fort but he didn’t feel like saying anything about it after his father had just complained.
After supper he sat in the living room with his father who was reading Playboy magazine. They never said anything to each other. Mike got sleepy and went to bed.
__________
Mike woke up as the alarm went off. It was the first day of his new job. Lighting up a cigarette he thought of how glad he was to leave college behind especially the dorm life. He headed down Willow street from his apartment and along the river towards downtown. He had to walk. He didn’t have a car yet and the walking helped his usual morning constipation anyway.
After a long day at work Mike started home as the five o’clock whistle blew. As he walked he wondered if he was going to like the new job at the bank. It seemed like counting money and working with papers was rather childish to him. On the way over the bridge Mike stopped and stood on the edge. He gazed down at the river and dropped a penny. He watched it sail down and could hear it plop as it hit the water. He took out a few more pennies and watched them all drop away from him. As he neared his street he saw some kids trying to bend down and twist the street sign at Willow and Dumpton streets. Mike looked at them and stopped.
“Hey you guys shouldn’t be doing that you know.” The kids looked at him and mumbled a few dirty words. Mike didn’t like this too much and became a little firmer.
“Hey, I don’t like that wrecking business especially to my street sign.”
“Your street sign?” the kids asked.
“Yeah, I live right over there.” Mike pointed angrily. All the kids quickly gave the street sign another kick which made it crash on the sidewalk then they all ran away screaming out dirty words at Mike and laughing. Mike furiously stomped towards them while shaking his fist and hollered, “Don’t do it again. Don’t do it again or I’ll kick the shit out of all of ya!”
End
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