Chapter 74 Section five

Unlike baseball diamonds, houses change a lot.In fact, this street has changed a lot.Trees are taller (that's to be expected). And there are more trees, as well as more shrubs and hedges.But none of these changes impressed me much.When I was a teenager, it was all one-story ranch houses, modest houses for people who worked in the factory where my father was a foreman.Now, these houses have been raised to two floors, or rooms have been added at the back, taking up most of the space in the backyard.These changes have all happened to the houses I've lived in.The screened in front porch expands the living room space.The detached one-car garage at the end of the driveway was converted into a two-car garage with stairs leading to a room above.

I parked across the street and watched the sunset turn red on the windows of the house, startled by the changes and wondering if I had made a mistake.It might not be the street (while the sign clearly says Acacia), or it might not be the house (it is marked 108 next to the front door. Only it was from my childhood).I feel completely underwhelmed by this place. As far back as I can remember, I saw a completely different simple house, the night my dad and I sprinted out, climbed in the car, and drove to the ballpark, hoping to find Patty loitering along the road that house. A man came out from the next house, looked at me warily, frowned, and seemed to say, what are you looking at?I started the car and as I was driving away I noticed half the houses had "for sale" on them

symbols of.I think of the old days when everyone on the street lived off a furniture factory and no one ever left.