The Grounds Crew, Summer Of '76 (Revised)

1, Johnny Jackson trimmed the bush with the new weed-whacker, then said with satisfaction, 'Finished! ' I turned around and saw there was nothing left of the bush. Johnny had just returned from Vietnam, and I cringed to think what he might have done there. 2. 'These people live like pigs! ' the white guys would say cleaning out a black tenant's abandoned apartment. We'd always drive the truck to places just vacated, to clean them and look for loot. The whole crew would congregate, with treasure in mind. I got to keep some Cat Stevens records once, not a coin valued in that realm, but when we came upon some object or appliance of general interest, you could see the covetous gleam appear in every eye. Not immune, I'd start thinking of 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.' 3. At age 28, I was a guy picking up paper with one of those sticks that has a nail on the end. My partner and I posed for our photo I still have— 'swords crossed'— no worldly ambtion at all. 4. My dad was the Manager of the 1900-unit complex. It was his job to worry for a big New York company. A salesman came by once with a lage machine he said would end our lawn problems forever. 'By God, let's do it! ' said Dad, red-faced and earnest, impulsively spending thousands in a second. We all knew nothing anyone did would make a difference. No one cared enough. 5. My partner and I would stop and talk to girls. One of them invited us to a party at her place one night. Finding it too noisy there, I tried to leave in half an hour, but she seemed to take my attempt as some kind of personal affront, and I went back to 'mingling'. Half hour later, I tried again. This time, she accepted my 'good night' graciously. My visit had now crossed some secret threshhold of demonstrated respect, known only to her.