I haven’t lived in Aurora, IL since 1984. Even for a few years before that, I was only a part-time resident, spending most of the year away at college. But even today, whenever I visit the Aurora area, I feel like I’m home. I still know my way around. I still know the names of most of the streets. And most importantly, I still know a lot of people in the area.
As I wrote in my last dispatch, flooding at my office in Wisconsin had me leaving Florida earlier than expected, and I found myself without plans for the 4th of July weekend. The AirBnB I had rented in Wisconsin was booked for the weekend, so I had to figure out other accommodations. I decided to go back home to Aurora.
My first stop on the way to Aurora was in Malta, IL, a town I didn’t even know existed until my friend Linda “Luch” Luciani moved there several years ago. Luch has a beautiful little place out in the country that reminds me of Little House on the Prairie. We made plans to meet for lunch at Remington’s Gastropub in downtown Malta.
I got to Remington’s before Luch and was disappointed to see a sign on the door that indicated that due to a broken freezer, they were going to be closed for the day. I called Luch, and she suggested we go to Fatty’s Pub & Grille in neighboring DeKalb. I drove the ten minutes down the road to Fatty’s just to find that they too were closed for the 4th of July. I called Luch again. This time, she suggested The Junction in DeKalb. The third time was the charm. They were open.
It’s a good thing that Luch and I had a lot of catching up to do because the service at The Junction was not speedy. In fact, we had to ask for extra ice twice, because the ice in our drinks had melted while we waited for our food. But the restaurant wasn’t the point of our visit. Seeing each other was.
Luch is a retired teacher who spent her career at Schaumburg High School. Actually, calling Luch retired is a bit of a misnomer. Although she’s not teaching in the classroom anymore, she does work one semester each year at Northern Illinois University (NIU) helping to coordinate the student teaching requirements of education majors. She also spends a good amount of time helping her son raise Shorthorn show cattle. Between her work at NIU, helping with the cattle, and visiting with her grandkids, she keeps plenty busy.
We had a nice slow lunch, then it was time for me to move on to Aurora for more visits. I didn’t have anything planned for 4th of July evening, so I made my way to Portillo’s for a Chicago dog. What could be more American than having a hotdog on the 4th of July?
The next day, my brother Mike and I went to lunch at Rambo’s Bar & Grill, near Mike’s home in Somonauk. Rambo’s is kind of a dive bar and restaurant that serves pizza from their sister restaurant, Uncle Milty’s Pizza Palace. Mike is particular about his pizza, so he ordered it well done with the edges rolled.
While we waited, we had a couple of beers and watched the beginning of the Cubs vs. Cardinals game. On another TV, IndyCar qualifying from Mid-Ohio was on. It was like being in sports Heaven.
Mike and I had a good time, reminiscing about our childhoods and the people we grew up with in our old neighborhood. Between being back in the Aurora area and talking about our younger years, my memory was working overtime.
I have always maintained that I had a great childhood. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But I have to admit that as a writer, it makes it more difficult to write characters who are going through tough times or suffering trauma. If you’ve read any of my books, you know that, although the characters face challenges, things are often not as bad as they could be. I’ve been told in the past that I need to put my characters in worse, more dangerous, situations. I don’t disagree, but it can be tough when you had the kind of great childhood I had. Even so, I’m working on it.
After a few more beers, Mike and I parted ways, and I went back to Aurora. With no plans for the rest of the day, I drove around a bit, going past our old houses and exploring our old neighborhoods. The memories continued to flow.
I had a very different childhood than my kids had. I was a free-range kid who was given a ton of freedom from a young age. I think most of us back then were raised that way. I remember being just twelve or thirteen and routinely riding my bike on the Pioneer Trail from Aurora to St. Charles along the Fox River. I thought nothing of being that far away from home (about 15 miles). In contrast, I would have never allowed my kids to ride their bikes that far away from home at such a young age. Again, I think that type of more protective parenting was the norm when my kids were young, but it makes me sad that they didn’t get to experience the type of freedom I experienced as they were growing up.
My next visit was with my friends Keith and Mary Johnson. A week earlier, Keith retired following a 40+ year career in the corporate offices of Ace Hardware, so we met up at Granite City Food & Brewery in Naperville to celebrate.
Keith is one of three friends I’ve had since at least junior high that I have stayed close with over the years. The other two are Ken Jordan and Paul Baudouin. People say it is odd to stay so close for so many years, but that hasn’t been my experience.
A few years ago, our friend Bill Breeden, passed away following an issue with his heart. Bill’s death hit me hard, and ever since, I have made an effort to get Ken, Paul, Keith and myself together once a year or so. It can be hard to juggle schedules, especially when kids and grandkids are in the picture, but I definitely think it is worth the effort.
Bill’s death made me realize how important it is to stay in touch with friends, and how easy it is to lose touch with them. It’s not so much that we lost touch with Bill, but we didn’t stay as close to him as we could have. We took for granted that we had plenty of time to talk and hang out. But the truth is, none of us ever knows how much time we really have. Bill’s death brought that home to me.
Keith, Mary, and I had a good visit. I’m already looking forward to seeing them again soon. And with any luck, Paul and Ken will be there too.
With the end of my visit to Aurora, I’m back on the original schedule I set for myself for the summer. Next stop: Tennessee.
