“The best thing is at night, to look through the windows when they’re all lit up.” – Mary Beth

Tonight I was walking Molly with Erica. We were about to walk past the house with all the lights. This house is a cute little tucked-away rambler with various colored lights up all year round. There’s a blue sting of lights above the garage, pink flamingos in the yard, a picket fence, a meandering porch, and a bright yellow Nissan truck parallel parked in front. And at night, when you can see inside, you can tell the rooms are brightly colored. Tonight Erica clutched my arm, burst out laughing, and asked, “Do you see that?” I looked left to see a gangly 17 year old kid smack dab in the middle of the living room bay window, playing steel guitar like his life depended on it. Like a crazy modern art picture, with the bright red living room walls, the kid looking straight at us. We caught his eye and he did one of those teenage ducking things you do when you’re a teenager and embarrassed about being yourself.

We stopped walking and started stumbling, laughing, and we wanted to go back and peek in the window, but were afraid it'd be too embarassing for the kid. Of course, when your home has pink flamingos in the yard, probably you're used to it.