When the ordinary became the extraordinary

If it wasn’t for that infamous day in July, I may have gone forward with my plans at school. I suppose it could be said that the bogeyman unwittingly changed the trajectory of that period of my life. So yes, I managed to battle on, stay the course and finish high school and start college. I was forced to stop and take stock of what I was doing at the time. The events of that night became like a roadblock on a pathway I had chosen to follow and thus I was compelled to change direction. Those were roads I could no longer go down. But that redirection was only part of the equation. In the months after that night the bogeyman and his family became most interesting to me. This was especially so after I met with Pete and Lilly in broad daylight to apologize. I was able to see and interact with this apparent monster (and his mate) and it was then I realized just how ordinary they were. And in my mind, the ordinary became the extraordinary. Considering their close proximity to my yard and the view out of my window, I could not help but see small snippets of their daily lives outside of their home. Once in a while I’d see their three children playing out on the lawn, sometimes when Pete was doing yard work. I could see their cars, the rocking chairs and glider on their front porch, the kids’ toys left in the yard, the warm glow of lights in some of the windows, and in general just the typical facets of normal life in suburbia. I was at the same time both afraid of Pete and very much intrigued by his apparently ordinary world. He was both the monster that lurked in the shadowy woods, the ghoul that jumped out at hapless victims, but also the stereotypical family man with a wife, children and a nice house. It was that juxtaposition that fascinated me to no end. This contrast was not unlike a comic book character who is on one face ordinary and mundane, but their hero (or villain) side is very different. There was really nothing special about Clark Kent, except for the fact that he was also Superman and could readily transform into his alter-ego when the situation called for that. Pete was the run of the mill nine to five working family man who could also transform into the Bogeyman when the need arose. He became more than just an ordinary person, becoming someone who had an almost supernatural power.

And there was yet another facet, another reason as to why my curiosity was piqued. Pete, Lilly and their family were, at least based upon what I could see, so very normal. They were rather like a more modern version of an old Normal Rockwell painting, but of course with a twist. A little of Normal Rockwell and perhaps a tiny bit of Norman Bates….If there ever was a stereotypical 1980’s nuclear family, they were (or seemed to be) it. By contrast, there was my situation. Exhibit A was my alcoholic stepfather, and my mom who battled both depression and him. Second was my nightmare at school and the war I was fighting to be able to earn diploma. In the background was my grandmother, widowed after my grandfather died several years before. She had no love for my stepfather, and at times she made that clear. In addition, I was dealing with other things in my life. Just being a teenager presented its own challenges. Like most teens, I did some rather stupid things, but luckily I was no worse for the wear for the most part.

Right next door was a window into what I wish I had, at least what I believed to be the truth. However, somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that what I was seeing might just be a façade, like a mirage in a desert. But still, even if it was an illusion, it was very compelling. In the scheme of things, it really didn’t matter, because like a desert mirage, what I saw would always be unobtainable. In desert sands, the rare (and real) oasis does exist, but it would be forever closed to me. All I could do is to wish I had what I felt was lacking in my own life.