Southport Ave.

I was literally starving. Another thirty seconds without food and I would have needed to lay down and wait for The Grim Reaper. I pulled into a 7-Eleven and got a deluxe sized beef jerkey. I had been in such hurry to get in the store, I hadn't really noticed what neighborhood I was in. I got in my car and made a right out of the parking lot. As I was sitting at the light, it hit me. I was a block away from where Teresa and I had lived in the early 90's. The apartment on Dover Street. Taylor's first home. The apartment where we found her in a basket on our doorstep. All bundled up and about the size of a loaf of bread. Taylor was the most beautiful baby. 

As I sat at that light on Southport Ave., getting ready to make a soft left north onto Clark Street, I was filled with the sweetest memories of Taylor in her early days. I remembered taking her on a bike ride on those streets. She sat up so nice and straight and observed everything. She was indeed "like little doll" as one lady had remarked in the thickest of Itallian accents. I also remembered the three of us going to a Cubs game. Taylor was so small. She slept on my lap for the whole game and jumped awake everytime something exciting happened. Then fell right back to sleep. After the game, we walked in a big crowd down Clark Street. As we crossed Addison, a bus actually rubbed against my arm as it drove by. It really didn't hurt me or anything but it scared the hell out of me. I was carrying my baby. What was wrong with that bus driver. I felt like handing Taylor to Teresa and going after him. 

In that apartment, we had a magnet of the Elvis stamp on the refrigerator. I had sideburns at that time and when I wasn't home, Taylor used to look at the magnet and say "Daddy".  

One night after I finished feeding her, she was standing up as I was holding her arms. I let go and she took her first step. That was exciting.

Those memories made me happy. As I was sitting through the green light, the guy in the car behind me, in the Chicago tradition began honking his horn. I sped away as I ate that jerky. My mini memory trip was over.