Frozen in Time ( Another Draft, 2016)

  While the house he grew up in may have undergone some changes, according to the recent pictures and some background knowledge, the house next door appeared exactly the same.  Well kept up,with the lawn perfectly maintained, as in the old days.  A young couple lived next door, the friendliest and most helpful neighbors the senior Schroders could have imagined. In our early marriage years, when we visited Kingston frequently, the family consisted of  Jan and Jerry, their son, a sweet little boy called Jay, and their toddler daughter Jill, who had completely stolen the heart of Dave's father.  Her mother was very conscious of not intruding when the neighbors had company, but occasionally the child would come over anyway and Herman would have her stand on the footstool in the living room so he could "interview" her and delight in her reactions, before her mother came to claim her.  A few years later, a baby boy joined the family, Jimmy, a gentle and sweet little child.
    But time marches on, Dave's parents gone, 140 Wrentham sold, the swimming pool, the focus of many a summer visit, filled in by the new owners.  Dave's father had a penchant for acquiring that which would bring the family together, and an inground pool, though not exactly a novelty at the time, was rather cutting edge.  He installed the pool, with help from neighbors and family, the weekend that Marilyn was being born.  Hello, grandchidren in the pool!
    When Dave heard that David's curiosity had led to his driving by the old Kingston homestead, a communication on Skype or such, Dave suggested he stop in and see Jan and Jerry.  Their 3 kids were grown and gone by now.  But no one answered the door.  David took pictures of their house also; it was so close to #140.
   Their house and lawn looked exactly the same.  No one had removed their front porch as had been done on the Schroder house.  Dave called to mind the last he had heard about Jerry.  An old mutual friend told him he was accustomed  to seeing  Jerry riding his bicycle around town.  It was easy to picture things as they had been, the inside as frozen in time as the outward appearance.
    Today, Dave took it upon himself to call Jerry, and tell him David had driven by his house, but no one was home.  Jerry answered the phone, from the haven of his seemingly unchanged home.  He told Dave that Jan, his wife, had died several weeks ago.  He said that his daughter Jill, had died several years ago, suddenly, at the age of 44.  And that he no longer rode his bicycle around the town.