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Crusin' Along
by Karen Antikajian
OWP - June 1999
"Mommieeeeee! Come quick!" My brother's cries, which were almost drowned out by my wails, brought my mother to the screen door. She looked out, threw open the door, and dashed down the steps to the driveway.
It all started on a warm summer day at our home on the outskirts of Chicago. My father had left for the train station where he would catch the local into the city and to his job at Western Electric. My mother was busy with "this and that" around the house, so to stay out of her way and avoid the possibility of having to clean our bedrooms, my brother and I decided to play outside on the long driveway beside our house.
My brother was three-and-a-half years older and, as an adoring almost four-year-old, I tried to mimic his every move. On this particular day he had rigged his big-wheeled tricycle up with a trailer. Since he was using our only wagon for his trailer, I had to be satisfied with a long rope and an imaginary trailer tied to my little tricycle. I was quite proud of myself, though, as I zoomed around on my trusty trike trailing its long, weatherbeaten rope. I was happy to be "just like Lynn."
As we raced around and around on our driveway reenacting the Indy 500, a neighbor boy wandered over to watch. He may have become a little bored or perhaps he just wanted to see what would happen if . . .
As I rounded the corner near him, peddling for all I was worth, he lifted his foot and came down on the rope like an elephant squashing a squirming snake. My trike stopped short sending me over the front like a cannonball out of a cannon and I landed, chin-first. I lay there - a lumpy sack of potatoes - with blood oozing from my chin.
Lynn's cries for help combined with my ear-splitting wails brought my mother hurtling out through the back door. The rest of the crazy commotion remains a blur in my mind except for the ride to the hospital. My sobs must have finally begun to irritate my brother as he calmly crunched his Cracker Jacks. With great generosity he offered me one of them if I would stop crying. And I did! For one Cracker Jack!!
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