Ya Can't go home again.

I took another walk with my fellow Blogger Keith because he went back to the neighborhood  grew up in; Sheepshead Bay.  It was interesting to see what was important to him.  He was very interested in The Coney Wastewater Treatment Plant., but he did not plan on making any pilgrimage to the most important and historic location in Sheepshead bay;  the home I grew up in.

Thank You Louis Trocciola

I lived on the upper floor of a semi-attached 3 family house.  The owner (Mr Fox) lived by himself on the second floor and his Mother (Mrs Fox) lived on the lower level.  It was not an unpleasant relationship.  Mr Fox also owned one of the arcades in Coney Island and being a childless man he was generous to me.  Once a summer we would visit and he would hand me a sack of quarters.  I loved pinball and became proficient at skee ball. (you have to aim for the corner).


Anyway, this all worked out well until abut the time I went away to college.  Mr Fox was dating a women that Mrs Fox hated, and naturally she hated Mrs Fox too.  To complete the 1980 soap opera, Mr Fox married this women in secret he actually bought all new clothing and stuff so him mom did not know he moved out.  He even came back every few days to have dinner with his mom.

This dysfunctional relationship worked out ok till the worst thing happened.

Mr Fox died.  The elder Mrs Fox did not know her son was married till the funeral.

Then the younger Mrs Fox made it really bad.  Without consulting the remaining residents of 4678 Bedford Ave she sold the building.  At first this was not big deal for my family, but then things got super ugly.  My mother found an eviction notice taped to our door.  Luckily, I was a freshman taking Business Law so I knew what to to.  (Yes, I know what to do, I asked my professor what to to.)  He told me not to worry, nobody has to leave their home after paying 18 years of rent.

So I made a meeting with the new landlord. But before the meeting I went to a Dead Kennedys Show at  Zappa's Rock Palace.  It was like this except Lynch the Landlord was the song I screamed out during a break.  Jello Biafra yanked me onto the stage and we sand it together.  I hope my kids have this much fun when they are 19, but don't tell me till they are 49.




and the meeting with the new landlord went well.  He said that he was told the building was unoccupied when he bought it (bullshit) but I know that he knew that as long as we kept paying our rent we could stay for ever.  He wanted us out so he could undivide the apartments and make a mansion.  Whatever.   He offered my mother free rent for a year and to pay her moving expenses.  Since I was away at school and my parents were newly divorced it did no make scene to to maintain a 3 bedroom home, so my mom took the deal.  So my mom at sister moved to a smaller apartment in Midwood.  All Good

But not so good for the elder Mrs Fox..  During the year my mom lived rent free, the police came by a few times.  They were wondering where she was.  It seams that when she found out that her son got married to the women she hated without telling her and that women sold her house of 30 years without telling her she disappeared.  She had nothing and nobody.

"Homelessness" was not an issue in 1980.  We had bums and bag ladies.  After Mr Fox disappeared I never looked at a bag lady the same way again.