We moved to neighboring Virginia Beach sometime circa 1975-1976 before my kindergarten year. My parents saved enough to buy a house on Liberty Bell Road. I clearly remember rolling my hot wheel cars in the hall way when we first moved in. And just being excited to be in a new place. We had a front yard, a backyard, a single car garage and kids were always in the street
Small ranch is how I would describe it. 3 beds and 2 baths. My sister and I each had a bedroom in the front of the house and my parents had the bedroom in the back of the house. Probably about 1500 square feet in a working class neighborhood. But still a house to call our own
Best of all, we had Korean neighbors 2 doors down. They owned a series of small businesses and had 3 children, 2 boys and a girl. The boys were super athletes and I was always secretly envious because I was never as good as them. In fact I was usually picked last for street football and other sports. They later became football stars at Princess Anne High School
Not going to lie but I was not terribly athletic and I was a little soft. Not a good combination of traits when trying to find your place in the neighborhood hierarchy. I did try but it always felt like I was on the outside looking in
I clearly remember having these feelings that my father was not proud of me because I was sort of soft and unpopular. He was always the leader of his family and their provider. One event in particular cemented this.
My father loved sports and would often ask me to play catch with a baseball. I missed a ball once as it bounced off my glove. It hit me In my right upper lip. blood was everywhere and soon headed to Boone Navy clinic for some stitches
I can to this day see and feel that scar on my upper lip. A constant reminder of my father’s disappointment in me
Childhood lost 