The McClanahans

Across the alley from our house in Drummond was the house of Don and Eva McClanahan. It had the strangest bricks of any house I had ever seen. They were long, thin, pink and looked like they were made of concrete. It was a very interesting house. It looked like you could scale the outside wall up to the roof, but you couldn't. I know this because I tried numerous times. Luckily for me they had a soft green lawn to land on. What was great about the McClanahans was they were not only the nicest people in the world, but they were also very hospitable neighbors. After the first time we went to their house, I discovered that Eva stayed home a lot while Don went off to work. I also discovered they had a cabinet in their hallway that had dozens of board games and puzzles. Those games held my interest like they were a secret stash of treasure and I became slightly obsessed with playing each and every one of them. I remember constantly asking my mom if I could go visit Eva. I wanted to check on her to make sure she wasn't lonely. I'm sure mom saw through my ruse and knew that my favorite cabinet was the target of my concern. She let me go anyway. (I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if mom had phoned Eva ahead of time to see if it was okay that I invaded her house and pawed all of the games and puzzles.) Eva was the perfect host as always. She usually had some kind of fruit juice or iced tea for me in a little cup. Soon I had my own glass like some bars have special beer mugs for the regulars. I had to leave it in the kitchen and come get a drink when I needed one, but I was important enough that I got the royal treatment. I would sit with Eva for a few minutes and ask her how things were going. I talked to her about what was going on in our house. I'm sure mom would have been mortified by some of the things I innocently revealed to the neighbors, but I was being cordial and respectful. For the whole conversation, however, my mind was halfway to the game cabinet and Eva could tell. After the exchange of pleasantries, Eva would ask if I wanted to play any of her games. A resounding "Yes, ma'am" chimed from my mouth and I headed to the hallway. After numerous times digging through the boxes, I discovered my favorite game. It was similar to the Tanagram game. It had different shaped plastic pieces that you had to figure out where they went to recreate the shadowed shapes on the game cards. I rarely figured out the actual shape, so I decided I would make my own shapes with all the pieces. It was much more fun to create something new than to merely put the pieces where someone else wanted me to put them. It seemed at the time to be innocent play, but in retrospect it was probably more. Making my own shapes, instead of following the rules of the game, both enhanced my creativity and solidified my disdain for too many rules, which still lingers with me today. Who knew that Eva's hospitality was breeding a little anarchist? All joking aside, Don and Eva showed me how to act when people came into my house. Be courteous, offer someone a drink, and let them play your games if they want to. Its not that my mom and dad were not that way, because they most certainly were. But who listens to their own parents until you're old enough to realize they were right the whole time? It's very lucky for me that my neighbors, my village, were around to show me how to live, play, and entertain. Without them showing me the proper way to behave, if you came to my house now, you would sit in silence, get your own drink, and not play with any of my games. Lucky for you the McClanahans were the way they were. Hospitable, kind, always ready with a glass of juice and stacked high with a cabinet full of fun.

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