14 things that remind me of you

Red Popsicles

𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕗 𝟚𝟘𝟘𝟟 

I'm admittedly an Ozark girl through and through. I was raised in a rickety mobile home planted right along the lake. Some of my earliest and most treasured memories were made in the heat of the summer on our boat dock. No one had summers like we did. 

My family had lived on the lake for generations. Make no mistake, we were no tourists. However, every summer, our secret little world on the lake became more and more attractive to rich families looking for a new vacation hotspot. High-class golf clubs and resorts began bidding high dollar amounts for real estate along the lake. Small fishing boats were quickly being overrun by pontoons, speed boats, and yachts. New building projects were constantly raising racket in our once quiet neighborhood. 

The younger and more naive Charlie once found all of these changes to be fascinating. Luxury was so foreign to me. I loved to pedal my tricycle barefoot around the neighborhood almost every afternoon and marvel at all of the million-dollar houses being constructed.

 It was on one such afternoon that I met Clarence Beck. 

Clarence came from a long line of old money. His great-grandfather, Clarence Beck the first, had made it big in real estate. Not only did the generations pass on his name, but they also inherited the family business and a great sum of money. However, I didn't know any of that the day that I met Clarence, and I didn't care. We were just kids. 

On this particular day, it was 86 degrees outside. The perfect day to jump in the lake. However, my curious eyes were distracted by the sight of moving trucks rolling through the neighborhood. I hollered a quick "I'm going to ride my bike!" to my mom before letting the screen door slam shut behind me. My mom apprehended me with a bottle of sunscreen and a bright red popsicle. "It's too hot for you to be out long," she warned me as she applied the sunscreen to my already burnt skin. "Be back soon".

I huffed and placed the popsicle in my bike's basket. "I will," I promised my mom begrudgingly.

I quickly began pedaling as fast as my training wheels would take me in the direction of the moving trucks. I already had a hunch of where they were headed. As I rounded the corner and passed under the blockades of the gated community, my speculations were confirmed.  At the top of the hill on a point sat the largest house in our area, and it had just completed its construction. The house appeared to be busy with movers unloading expensive furnishings. As I approached the base of the hill, I watched from a distance hoping to catch a glimpse of the new owners. 

Behind me, I heard a vehicle approach. I turned around to see a black Range Rover pulling into the driveway. Embarrassed at being caught staring, I began to turn my bike around to head home. However, at the top of the hill, the Range Rover door slammed shut and a figure bounded down the hill towards me. "Hey, wait!" a voice called out.

I paused to look at the stranger approaching me. He appeared to be around my age. He had long blonde hair that bounced as he ran towards me, blue eyes that were partially obscured by his glasses, and a contagious smile that was missing a few teeth. His expensive clothes were rumpled from the car ride, but he still managed to appear way more put together than me in my hand-me-downs. He didn't seem to mind my appearance though. He approached me with no hesitation and stated boldly, "Hi! I'm Clarence. Who are you?"

"Charlie." I offered hesitantly. 

"Are you my new neighbor?" he asked curiously.

I shook my head. "I live around the corner."

"Cool!" he stated with enthusiasm. "I like your bike."

I smiled at the compliment. "Thanks. I like your house."

"Summer house," he stated matter of factly. Somehow, this didn't come across to me as braggadocios as one might assume. He stated it simply as if this were normal to him.

I nodded as if I understood and reached into my bike's basket and handed him my popsicle. "Welcome to the Lake of the Ozarks".

He grinned from ear to ear and began opening the popsicle. It had already halfway melted into a puddle of red dye, but he gladly took a bite out of it. His lips and gums quickly turned a bright red. "Thanks, Charlie. See you around?"

I nodded shyly and took off on my bicycle. 

Later that week, I timidly approached the house once again. I was promptly greeted with a shout from the backyard where Clarence was swimming. With his mother's permission, I was allowed into the pool for the first of our many play dates to come.

All that summer, Clarence and I became the best of friends. When summer came to a close and his family was preparing to leave, we were practically inseparable. We swore to one another that we would be friends next year. And the next. And the next. And the next. 

It got to the point where Clarence was the highlight of my summer, and I was the highlight of his. Although our lives were vastly different, we both enjoyed getting to encounter each other's worlds for a change.