THE NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

Or… THE LITTLE BASTARDS OF HULL STREET.

Many years ago, when I was growing up in Brooklyn, many of the neighbors invested their time by sitting either on their stoop (Steps leading up to the building’s front door), or sitting at their windows, looking down into the street. My street was no exception.

Usually in the summer only, there lived an old man who sat on a chair in his front yard. Never speaking, never moving, he just watched us play stoopball, scelzy, stickball or just running around. He could be found from early in the morning until late in the evening. He wore a pair of black pants, white socks and slippers. He also modeled a white sleeveless undershirt. His arms were folded across his chest, and I don’t believe he even ate!

Next door to him was a couple that sat at their third floor walk-up, overlooking the street from their bedroom window. We called them the: “Lampshades”, and they would talk to each other making comments no one on the street could hear, but you would witness them chuckling ever so often. Even in our building, there stood leaning in the doorway a gentle giant named Henry.

And of course their was ‘Comeonagetout’ Pronounced: “come ona get out” the lady who owned the building next door to us. She was an old codger if ever there was one! All these people helped to make up the complex personality that was Hull Street, Brooklyn New York in the late 40’s and early 50’s.

With the exception of the old man in his front yard, all the observers came under the childish scrutiny of my friends and me. But of all the observers, the Lampshades were given something to watch and react to.

Being how we were bored one late afternoon, as the couple stood their regular watch, my friends and me decided to engage in a little theatrics. For youngsters, we did a great job! We decided we would have an old fashioned donnybrook, to see if we could get a reaction from the shades.

The stage was set for a one-sided fight, me against three others! The plan was to have my friends gang-up on me, and make it look like I was getting the worst end of it. On they came, jumping on top of me and doing a great job of making me look almost dead! I lay under the pile lifeless, while they knocked themselves out making it look real. The shades became alarmed, and started shouting from their perch, high above Hull Street. “Hey! Stop that! Get off of him!”

Suddenly they left their window, which was our sign to duck inside before they came downstairs and into the street to rescue me. We sat in my hallway laughing ourselves silly, as we watched the old couple as they paused in their doorway, amazed that no one was on the sidewalk in front of my house!

That evening, after dinner, we all met again on the stoop, giggling at the lampshades. As we watched them in their window, the old guy leaned out and yelled: “YOU LITTLE BASTARDS!”