Da Doo Ron Ron
Life Soundtracks #10
Chris captained a Big Green Machine, while I piloted a Big Wheel. Our saddlebags were packed with a lunch of cheese sandwiches and apple slices. Beneath a canary-yellow sun we careened down the hill in my backyard, from the steep steps of the house to the swing set, crashing into the slide and launching ourselves off like Evil Knievel.
After dusting ourselves off we climbed to the top, balancing ourselves on the cross bar like long-lost Flying Wallendas. Chris snapped on a portable transistor radio, tuning through the AM static until Shaun Cassidy’s 1977 hit broke through.
“Please, don’t try this at home.” I would implore my imaginary audience, mimicking the announcers from Wide World of Sports. “We are professionals, and have trained many years to be able to perform these stunts safely.” I would then hang upside down from the beam, swing chains rattling, as my blond hair reached for the ground and the blood rushed to my head. Chris would stand up on top and walk heel-toe across the crossbar, stepping over my draped legs, arms out and fearless.
The big finale was when we would climb back to the top, sit side by side and sing “Met her on a Monday and my heart stood still.”
It was our last great performance before Chris’s family moved to Michigan.
This One’s Called… Da Doo Ron Ron
