The Street - A Composite Sketch (14)

Not a very long street, just off a major arterial, it is shaped like a question mark. At the conclusion of the bulge it meanders into another street. One half of the street backs onto a heavily wooded ravine, a neighbourhood treasure, though few of the street's residents quite recognize its value, nor make use of its propinquity. It cleanses the air everyone breathes, it hosts birds and wildlife and presents a treasury of wildflowers throughout the seasons. At one time the street, part of a larger suburban community, shared a small-town address. It has long since been subsumed into the greater national capital of the country, through a wide-ranging amalgamation of communities and even farms. The street and the houses on it were built two and a half decades ago. The domiciles are comprised mostly of single-family, detached dwellings, with a handful of semis verging on the main thoroughfare. Many of the residents are the original home purchasers. They would comprise roughly 50% of the residents of the street. The semis appear to have changed hands far more often than the detached homes. And those homes that have been re-sold have often enjoyed a succession of owners. The original home owners who moved into their houses when their children were small have mostly bid farewell to now-grown children. The street represents an amalgam of family types, and there is a significant percentage at this time, of retired people, singly and in couples who, though their houses are meant for family occupation, still opt to remain in their too-large, but comfortable and familiar and valued homes. It is a very quiet street, with little traffic other than those who live there. The house fronts are diverse, and attractive. Most residents take care of their homes, seeing them as their primary investments. Furnaces have been replaced, and air conditioners, and also windows. Kitchens and bathrooms have been remodelled, and people have added decks and occasionally airy 'summer houses' to the backs of their homes. One-third of the homes boast swimming pools, in-ground and above-ground. Most people take pride in their properties, and feel they must achieve lawns that are weedless and smoothly green. Some painstakingly remove weeds by hand in the spring, others hire lawn-care companies to spread chemicals on their lawns. Invariably, the people who look after their own gardens and lawns have superior gardens and lawns. Each house has a large tree planted in front; maples, ash,crabapples, spruce or pine, fully mature. This is a community that is truly mixed, representing people from around the world, come to Canada as immigrants, settled and making the most of opportunities open to all its citizens in a free and open society noted for its pluralism and dedication to fair representation. There are the extroverts and the introverts, those who prefer not to mingle, others who do. They are herewith loosely sketched:

This is the fourteenth part of the anatomy of The Street.

Purchased by a military family, the office corps, a young Japanese-Canadian couple. Seldom seen outside the confines of their new home. The two-story-high windows of the great room swiftly draped for privacy and beauty by costly and elegant draperies, while others still went without, long afterward. Two children, just as swiftly, it somehow seemed also materialized, one after another. A very private affair.

Parents both small of stature, dark-haired, nicely proportioned, white-white teeth, lovely smiles and gracious acknowledgements, but no small talk, thank you very much. They tended to appear most comfortable with other members of the armed services, some of whom, representing a hierarchy, also lived on the street. He appeared neat and dapper, on his way to National Defence Headquarters, uniformed - and on his return home.

His wife was devoted to her job on the home front; their children always immaculate, changed into new, clean outfits to greet their father on his return home from the office. As a family, however, they were frequently not 'home'. They had many postings abroad. And rented out their home to other military families in transit. A succession of such families used the house until, finally, the owners returned.

Moved back into their house. Which was, by then, badly in need of updating, refurbishment. They had it painted inside and out. The roof replaced. The kitchen updated with new cupboards, tile floor, kitchen backsplash, and new appliances. Had a few windows replaced, their upkeep had been neglected, not painted when they should have been, resulting in rot.

The children now considerably older, attending middle school. They were never seen with the other children on the street. Nor were children from their school seen to come around. The company they received on occasion were military colleagues and their families. And then, they put their house up for sale. Another posting on the horizon. This time to Western Canada, where they were likely to stay awhile, and where they planned to buy another home.

The house sold speedily. Another young couple, quite young. Actually another young couple right from the area, whose extended family lived nearby. He was broad, tall and stocky with a bluff, good-natured manner. His wife large too, and extremely attractive. She was the ambitious one, the mover-and-shaker in the family. He acceded to her good judgement, and her stern admonitions.

He worked at a local car dealership, in their leasing and used-car section. He knew cars, was a natural salesman, smooth and assured on the job. Unlike his at-home persona. He left the self-assurance at the dealership, didn't dare exhibit it at home. They had an infant girl, and soon she was carrying another, a little boy, it transpired. Their mother was nothing if not enterprising and ultra capable.

Aside from looking after her own, she cared for other peoples' children, offering after-school care for elementary school children in the neighbourhood, until their parents picked them up after working hours. But it was her scrapbooking enterprise, demonstrating techniques to other young mothers, buying scrapbook "memories" products in bulk as a manufacturer-representative, where she earned most of her money.

Every few weeks she would host an open house for her clients. The street would be packed with family vans. Inside their house the social-contact clique with a scrapbooking context would discuss, display, enquire, instruct and take orders. All the supplies ordered would be accessible at the next scheduled event. The young mothers looked forward happily to these events as inspirational social occasions.

Her husband, working flexible hours, would be tasked with looking after the children while she expertly led her scrapbooking teaching sessions. She was recognized by the company as an excellent sales recruit, given encouragement and recognition by being sent off for product-enhancing sessions to update her techniques, to be introduced to new products.

Occasionally just to join other successful scrapbooking entrepreneurs on week-end holidays, all expenses paid as rewards for energy and enterprise. Another, third child came along, another girl. She coped extremely well as a busy young mother of three, with her lucrative business on the side. Her husband might have felt harried, left for week-ends with their brood, but he was a dedicated husband and father.

He loved his family, doted on their children. Respected his wife enormously, for her strength of character, capabilities and enterprising spirit. Always deferred to her. She held the family purse strings. Kept their accounts, made up their budget, paid the bills. She allotted him a weekly stipend. He seldom had much money to spend on himself. And that was just fine with him.

He adored his tight little family, never chafed at the familial constraints on his time and energy. Because of the business he was in they never had vehicular expenses. He was given a company car, a family van, and there was always a second, smaller car at his disposal courtesy of the leasing and used-car business. Whatever was in inventory could be used, until it was eventually sold.

They enjoyed very good relations with neighbours. Friendly, not quite distant, but busy-busy, engaged and involved. That attitude had to be respected. Everything revolved around their children. The oldest girl hadn't taken kindly to the appearance of rivals for her parents' attention. She was imperious and demanding, resentful of sharing attention.

Her younger siblings had more relaxed, pacific temperaments, sunny personalities. The oldest child sharply intelligent, like her mother. The other two docile and a little slow, like their complacent, comfortable father.

c. 2009 Rita Rosenfeld