Just by chance, I happened onto yet another My ‘Hood moment Thursday afternoon along — wait for it — Dahlia Street.
Returning home from a shakedown cruise with the orange ’04 Mustang GT, I attempted to turn onto Dahlia in order to reach my house’s rear parking area (a car was driving in the alley behind my house, denying me the easiest route). I was going to check my car’s coolant level and wanted to be parked off the street. Imagine that!
But, upon turning onto Dahlia, I was met with a police vehicle blocking the roadway, largely owing to there being only one lane and change due to an assortment of trailers and a decrepit vehicle having been moored there for months and months.
I surveyed the situation briefly, backed out again onto Harshberger Road and went around the block. But, I was curious about the goings-on, so after parking the Mustang, I walked around the block to see what all the excitement was about.
As I approached the scene, the policeman began to move, drove past me, turned around, re-passed me and then left the area. I continued walking and heard the loud voices of a man and a woman. I haven’t heard F-bombs uttered like this guy was doing since I last was in a pro sports locker room.
The woman, undaunted by the F-bombs and other crude and insulting language, was returning fire by making points to support her case in an outside calling voice, but not using such foul language.
I was surprised the policeman had felt comfortable departing such a volatile scene.
Eventually, cooler heads prevailed, with an older woman escorting the younger woman into their house.
A quick check revealed some theories and opinions about what had happened. I never spoke with the individuals involved, nor bothered to check with the police for an official report. I am content to wait for a public airing of this ongoing parking tiff, which I’ve been told by a borough representative will happen Monday afternoon, before the regular monthly meeting of Southmont Borough Council.
Just thinking out loud here, but my crystal ball tells me something like appeal denied is coming Monday.
While we wait, let’s play a little Jeopardy, where the answer is given and contestants must respond in the form of a question.
Host: The answer is, Dahlia Street.
Contestant 1: What was the name of Perry Mason’s secretary?
Host: No, sorry. That was Della Street, a role most associated with actress Barbara Hale.
Contestant 2: What was the nickname given the famous unsolved 1947 Los Angeles murder victim Elizabeth Short?
Host: Again, no. That was the Black Dahlia. Anyone else? No? OK, the proper question is What is the formerly quiet Southmont Street now taking on appearances of Ukraine?
Host: The next answer is, Paper Alley
Contestant 3: What was the 1973 Oscar-winning comedy that starred the father-daughter team of Ryan and Tatum O’Neal?
Host: No, that was Paper Moon.
Contestant 1: What was the collective name given to the New York City music publishers and songwriters that dominated the domestic music scene in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries?
Host: Sorry, that was Tin Pan Alley.
Contestant 2: Hey, host, I think my buzzer stopped working.
Host: Do you have a guess Contestant 2? No? OK. Paper alley is a public right-of-way drawn on road grids that never was actually constructed, but cannot be claimed as one’s property.
Host: And now we’re out of time. We will have to wait until Monday and the arrival of the studio audience for your Final Jeopardy questions, but here is the Final Jeopardy answer, Sweet Justice.
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