I was driving along the dark side roads of Centerport which is a small town along the coast of Long Island. The area is full of hills that over looks the Long Island Sound, which faces Connecticut. Twisting small streets full of family homes dot the hills. Most of the houses have some type of view of the beautiful coast over looking the Sound. The area is very much like any typical New England small town. The streets along the coast holding the houses of those who live there are dark and sparsely lit. Clear nights are glorious as the dark sky over looking the water makes all the stars and air traffic clearly visible. The lack of streetlights up in the hilly areas seems to exaggerate the brightness of the stars, moon, planets and airplanes making them all easily recognizable. This night was one of those clear bright nights with that dark still backdrop of sky and water.

I was enjoying our drive, as the night was crystal clear and the night sky full and beautiful. I was taking my time slowly climbing the hills on the way to my friends house taking every opportunity I could to glimpse a view of the water and the shore line of Connecticut.

We arrived at my friend’s house. I pulled into the driveway and drove as far back towards the back of her house as possible. We had been out to the farm stands earlier that day. My friend had bought a bunch of pumpkins and mums, all which were packed in the back of my vehicle. . As we sorted through our days shopping we took turns carrying her items across her dark yard to her deck.

It was very dark, as she had not yet gone inside of her house to turn on the outside lights. Not being familiar with her yard enough to negotiate it in the dark I did what I usually do in similar scenarios and took a gigantic fall. Arms full of pumpkins and one large yellow mum plant I managed to launch myself off the end of her deck to slide across her cement walkway never letting go of the items in my arms to find myself stopped from this humiliation by a hedge of azaleas lining the walkway.

At first my friend came running yelling the words of concern –“ Are you OK?” as she ran towards me. She had been about 50 feet behind me and witnessed my tumble in full. When she reached my side we checked to see if anything was broken. I knew at once I was whole and only suffering from some cuts and bruises. My friend now laughing at me with great gusto sat down next to me on the ground as she uncovered me from pumpkin and mum pieces. She sort of rolled me off of her hedge and we both laid on the lawn laughing. I told her I was going to have to spend the night on the lawn, as I did not think I could get up. She decided to go get me a chair to sit on so she could check on the cuts and road rash along my knees and legs.

As my friend made her way to unlock her house, turn on the outside lights and find a chair for me I waited stretched out on her back lawn overlooking the Long Island sound while looking up at the clear night sky.

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