DAN’S PAPERS
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danshamptons.com
October 19, 2012 Page 35
Memories of Long Island don’t fade like a popsicle.
GUEST ESSAY
Why I Dislike Eastern L.I. By anne henry
O
kay, before you berate me, let me explain. I came from Westbury, a little town to the west. You know, just before Carle Place on the LIRR north line? So, when I was younger, around age 10, EVERY Tuesday my parents would drive out to eastern Long Island. You see, my father worked for Transit in the city as a motorman in the subway and on his day off he wanted to relax and enjoy the wonders that are the East End. For me, it meant a whole day in the backseat of the car, away from my friends, and, occasionally, having my parents debate produce procurements. More on that later. I would take my place in the backseat of the Chevy and out east we would go. From about nine in the morning until sunset. Sometimes I had planned on playing in the sprinkler with friends or playing stickball or whatever but noooooo. But, let’s just ignore this supposition, shall we? I remember us going out to Riverhead and driving north on a little road with lots of trees. Up ahead on the east side of the road there appeared a Big White Duck! I know it’s been mentioned countless times but, oh, what a wonder to a 10-year-old to see this site! I think they sold eggs and other such dairy items then. I thought it was the greatest thing to see this marvelous Big Duck parked on the side of the road. And it had a door! It was tremendous. But, okay, so it was a Big Duck. And after that it got moved to Flanders. Ah, Flanders...I remember going to Flanders often and it was always windy there! My mother would take me swimming and we had fun Anne Henry was born on Long Island but was whisked away to Florida when her parents retired. She currently teaches math with a Long Island accent in south Florida.
frolicking in the little, rippling waves. I found a silver pocket watch there with a cracked crystal and it still worked! I still have it. I remember saying that this was so much better than playing in the sprinkler at home. I loved it. Sometimes we would drive by Tiana Bay. Oh, Tiana Bay! Do you know what I think of any time I think about Tiana Bay? A pretty blueand-white sailboat gliding by at sunset. It was so placid, serene, and resplendent against the setting sun. I wouldn’t mind just gazing out at that right now. I relish the calming memories it still evokes. Thank you to whomever sailed that boat that day! We’d be on to Speonk. Oh, I had one of the best times in Speonk!! You see, in our travels, we happened upon my aunt whose car had broken down in Speonk. My cousin opened the hood of the car and remarked, “I know what’s wrong! The engine’s gone!” Ha, I thought that was hilarious. Well, to a 10-year-old, it really was. Fortunately, the car was outside a little restaurant whose name is lost in infamy but it was small, friendly and had a jukebox. As we waited for someone to come and repair the car while our parents had a beer or two (Schaefer! Well, it IS the beer when you’re “hav-ing more than one!”), we endeavored to play some songs. My cousin said to push G-7 for “Windy,” a popular song that year by The Association, but I mistakenly pushed G-8 and we got “Please Release Me” by Engelbert Humperdinck. This was humorous at the time and I guess you had to be there. But we had so much fun in Speonk. The people in that little restaurant were so friendly and giving of their time, too, as we waited for the car to be repaired. I love Speonk! Onto Quogue! Quogue emits a memory of ice cream. Quogue and ice cream are together in my mind and, really, that’s a good thing. I vividly remember (Cont’d on next page)
This essay is one of the many nonfiction essays entered in the Dan’s Papers $6,000 Literary Prize for Nonfiction competition. We editors liked this entry and present it here, hoping you’ll enjoy it too.