We moved to Brookcrest Cir in Decatur, Georgia in the summer before I turned 6 years old in September. The reason I remember that is because the cut off date to start 1st grade was September 1st and I was born September 4th. I'm not sure what kind if promises or threats or lies my Mom and Dad told the school board but they get me in 1st grade 361 days before I was supposed to be there, that being said I was almost always the youngest at every grade level.
Brookcrest Cir. Had a part that was a long steep hill that would dead-end into another cross road. This was a very typical 1960's neighborhood with typical split level and 2 story homes with 1/3 to 1/2 acre lots. We had a 4 bedroom 2 bath split level house and we also had a VERY steep driveway and we were almost at the top of Brookcrest Cir.
The neighborhood was full of kids in fact I can only think of a couple of houses that didn't have kids. The kids ranged in age from about 2 or 3 up through High school and truly every age in-between.
It seemed that everyone had something to ride and I was no exception I had a bike and a death machine called a Flexible Flyer. It was a sled with wheels and no breaks. I think back now and wonder if my parents had a HUGE life insurance policy on me. I would ride that thing down my steep driveway and crash into the curb across the street and I would measure how far I would fly into the neighbors yard. One day I did something I had been told not to do many times. I started at the top of Brookcrest Cir and I headed down the hill, now the hill was about 150 yards long from where I started so I had plenty of time to pickup speed. About halfway down and I'm guessing about 35mph at that point I noticed a very familiar turning and heading up the hill...It was my Dad.
I passed him going down and I couldn't think of anything else to do at that point so I waved... He waved back.
When I got home I had completely worn the toes out of my tennis shoes trying to stop, I mean you could see socks on both feet.
My Dad called me to the den when I came home and said, "Phil...I saw a little boy riding your flyer down the street on the way home and I know it wasn't you because I told you to NEVER ride that thing down that big hill. I hope that little boy didn't get hurt. You be careful who you let ride that thing...Do we have an understanding about that"? I agreed I understood.
A few days later my Flyer just disappeared for no reason...To this day I still wonder where it went.
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