Page 142 of Seasons of Love
“The problem is that the playground has been largely abandoned for years. The opinion of the community doesn’t hold much weight when the other side is saying the investment in the area is a good thing,” Arlo explains.
“They have a point,” Harrison says.
“What if we clean it up?” I ask. “We get rid of the weeds. Restore the play structures.”
Tyler is playing with the label on his bottle.
“It’s not that easy. Do you know how many times that playground has been cleaned up? Too many to count. It doesn’t get used by children to play because the parents are too scared.”
What?
“Why?”
“A few years ago, there was a surge of drug dealing and drug-related crime. Most of it is gone now because those who caused it”—he looks at me—“are dead. But that won’t magically bring life back into the playground.”
“Then we make it. We have to start somewhere. Cleaning it up is the start. Then we’ll figure the rest out.” I turn to Arlo. “What was the outcome of the meeting?”
“They’ve postponed the meeting until a committee of residents can be formed to represent their opinion. We basically have a few weeks until they demand a meeting or go ahead without one.”
“We’ll make it happen.” I stand.
“Where are you going?” Harrison asks.
“Home. There’s a bunch of stuff to plan and not a lot of time to do it. I’ll see you guys next week.”
I walk a few yards until Tyler catches up to me.
“Hey, walking this way?” I ask.
“I am now.”
I chuckle. “Don’t worry. I told my sister there’s nothing between us, so you don’t need to walk me home.”
Tyler doesn’t laugh at my joke, so I look at him and see his worried frown. “You seem to have a special interest in the playground.”
“Of course. I’ve grown attached to the community, and I think the parking lot would be the end of whatever small thread is holding that community together.”
He hums. “Is that it?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not going to bullshit you, Ellis. Is this because of Milo?”
I roll the sleeves of my shirt again because, despite the time, the temperature hasn’t gone down. Or maybe I’m just feeling too hot all of a sudden.
“Well, it’s his community, so yeah. You know I respect Milo. We’re friends, and I adore Sara. I’d love to know that she can grow up playing there.”
He nods. “From one friend to another, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Milo is a special person. If you care about him, show it. Don’t keep it to yourself.”
He pats me on the back and turns to go back in the direction we came from.
“Where are you going?”
“I forgot I drove here. I guess it’s that old age setting in and all.”
I shake my head. “You’re a bastard.”
“Yeah, but with good intentions, which makes me a fucking fairy godmother.”
