Walk in the Woods
Short #2: The Mayor
Part one of the Valley Stream series.
I stood on the stoop and fiddled with my key in the lock. It was a new key and unaccustomed to its purpose. Over my shoulder from across the street a man hollered something I did not understand, and I mumbled a quick reply. “Stupid neighbor,” I thought as I tried to force my freshly cut key to do its job.
A moment later I heard his voice again but from directly behind me. Alarmed and annoyed, I spun around to around to get a better look at my interrogator in the fading winter sun. At the end of the sidewalk leading back to the street- with beer in hand- was a middle-aged man in a clean white tee and jeans.
“Need any help?” he asked in a smokey North Carolina accent.
“My key won’t work.”
“Oh. Well…I seen you from my house across the street and wanted to check on you. I’m Mike,” he said and offered his free hand.
As I shook his hand, I came close enough to notice the long-term affects of Michelob Ultra on his broad face.
“Yeah. I’m Nik. I just moved in here with Blake.”
“Ah,” nodded Mike. “I keep an eye on the neighborhood. From my porch over there I can see up and down the street,” as he pointed in both directions.
I saw what he meant. From his perch up the hill, Mike had a perfect view north and south of Valley Stream Road and the part of Seneca Place running west away from our street. He certainly could see all the comings and goings of our house. Over the next four years, little we could or would do escaped his watch, fortunately. After a bit of small talk, Mike wandered back across the street and up the hill to his seat on the porch. I had met the Mayor of Madison Park.
We called him that because he knew everyone in our south Charlotte neighborhood and everything worth knowing about what happened on our street. Over the following years, Mike helped us cut down overgrown vines and fix our cars. And, he was always good for a cigarette or fresh beer when needed, both of which he kept in his back pocket. That day on the stoop, just two days after my arrival, he wasn’t just being nosy. He was fulfilling his purpose as mayor and volunteer neighborhood watch.