Abbey, also known as Abinator, likes to take walks. One glorious afternoon, we made our way down to the riverside park to enjoy the last rays of sunshine before the night took over. We didn’t know exactly where the park was, but the unknown is always more fun.
The first thing we came upon was a small piece of green area, enclosed in green metal fences. To me, it seemed like it was trying very hard to be a nice little park. There was a black and green swing set, a set of pick-nick tables, and a basketball court. However, it was just too small; the grass was too uneven, and the basketball courts lacked too much new paint to be a park.
Nevertheless, Abbey and I made a stop at the swings. Being on them reminds of me of how I used to play back in “my days.” We didn’t have IPods or Wii or anything like that. What we had was our imagination. I remember my friend and I used to pretend that the swings were an airplane, a boat, a spaceship, and just about any other transportation system that we can ever make up in our heads. We would take expedition across the U.S. in search of treasures. The street would become the Mississippi River, and we would be detectives.
We left the swings and made our way through a neighborhood just before the river. Clean laundry lined the racks to dry in the sun. Broken steps, and pealing paint on the houses formed a stark contrast to the picturesque mansions just three blocks away in the direction of Market Street.
As we walked down the street, I saw a small gas-station-like store (but without window) that had the words “Teal’s Seafood” pained in UNC blue across the top of the wooden door. It looked like a great local place for us to make a stop.
The moment we pushed through the 6ft wooden white door, I felt like I might have just stepped into a movie about the South. The entire store was dimly lighted with a wooden rack in the middle and upright shelves along the walls to my right. The ceiling was so low that even I (5ft 2in) felt tall. To my left, there was a wooden counter connected to an ice-bar, on which various fishes and shrimp were laid out for display. Behind the ice-bar and on the wall were black boards displaying the menus of Teal’s Seafood. “Hot Dogs for $0.95,” read one of them. Two young men, a middle-aged man and an elderly lady sat with their legs crouched behind the counter. From the head-bowing and the back bending, they seemed to be playing some type of card game. It was clearly a family store and restaurant.
“You new here?” Asked a middle-aged full-figured lady as she walked out from the backdoor behind the counter. When we mentioned that we just came to check the place out, and wanted a menu, a frequent costumer dressed in a dirtied dark blue uniform (probably from working in custodial work, or construction work) told us in a strong southern accent that, “Teal’s sandwich 's a meal!” He gestured with his hands the shape of a sandwich that’s about the size of a full moon in the sky. Southerners are always so welcoming.
Anyhow, Abbey and I finally made our way down the river, and it had the most breath-taking view. The setting sun gave a golden glow to he baby green leaves. The river faithfully reflected the beauty like in a painting. There were men sitting on the shore, attempting to fish.
That was where our adventures ended for that day.
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