Lakeshore

Lakeshore: Chapter 1- More Than a Development

      Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be in a black Utopia? Where you can walk down the street in a hoodie at night with a bag of skittles and Iceed-Tea, and not be harassed? Or have police ride past you with a friendly wave and smile? The early mornings consist of set sprinklers, children rushing out to the car for school, and standing quietly at nearby corner bus stops. A multitude of Mercedes Benz and Maserati's pass so frequently that they are considered the neighborhood Honda. Well, all that is possible, here in Lakeshore. Believe me, I never thought I'd see it myself.

     I have lived in many places in this country, within many different social classes as a housekeeper, and in my past lives. Never have I ever seen a place like Lakeshore. It's like Desperate Housewives meets Harlem. Better than Baldwin Hills and Buckhead put together. Surrounded by Lakes and old swamp land, Lakeshore sits tucked away in its own oasis of Slidell, Louisiana. It's a city just 30 miles from New Orleans. This place is beautiful, slightly country once outside the development. There are no public buses in the entire city. We do have quite a few Wal-Marts, but no Target.  However, neither is really necessary because Lakeshore has everything. You don't even have to leave the development for groceries. They have a store locally that employs the neighborhood kids and they deliver groceries to you on Tricycles. 

      There's a farmer's market every Saturday. A local Quick stop market that has a drive-thru. A movie theater, a waterpark, a golf course, a Soccer field, a Basketball court, and a Chess square. That's right, a courtyard where all the chess players come together throughout the week and play chess. Every now and then they squeeze in some spades. Every morning I get the privilege to see faces that look like my own, smiling, at peace, living in luxury, and still having a sense of community. Lakeshore is the Utopia I never knew existed and in some ways, I'm afraid will be found.

   Many characters live in our community. Most good and others great. There are other blocks that are a bit more diverse than ours and we commune with them as well. Honestly, the entire development comes together. The majority are New Orleans Saints fans and when LSU plays, it's a reoccurring prolific moment. Through the week you're met with relaxed smiling faces rocking on their porch to soft Jazz and R&B. Walking dogs for the family I work for is the relief of my day. I get to be surrounded by an unofficial family from a neighborhood that had welcomed me when I had nowhere to go or a family to receive me. It's more sweet than bitter. 

       The holidays are nearing and while most are preparing for a Thanksgiving feast, I am trying each day to keep it together and not show how this time of year affects me. I feel there are just some things that don't need to be seen or they will require an explanation that I am never really ready to relive, let alone express. I smile in the house during the day and cry myself to sleep. It's getting worse. I sat at the table eating lunch and entertaining the dogs when they must have felt my sadness, Daisy the poodle looked into my eyes and I burst into tears. She refused to leave me alone. Putting her paws in my lap wanting to be picked up, but it felt more for me than for her. I held her and cried.  All I can think about is the family I no longer have. I am here catering to the needs of a family that finds me resourceful. Yet, all I want is to be held in the arms of a family that shares my bloodline. Never thought it was possible to feel like an orphan at 28 years old. No one knows my past and I would like to keep it that way, although with every corner I turn and conversation I have, there is this fear that someone will look behind me and see the past I left there. A past that I don't ever want to revisit. It has cost me my family and the home I once knew. I accept that it was for the best, but the hole in my heart can not process what I do not know how to replace. If this is the hardest part, I am praying for the day when it gets easier.

"Come on Daisy, let's go play outside." Opening the door she took the dogs outside in the backyard and stared at the lake just 20 feet away. Wanting to throw herself in the lake and allow the water to rid her of her problems and relieve the stress carried in every joint. She just looked beyond her as the dogs ran free chasing each other. Looking up at the sky there wasn't a cloud to be seen. The sun gave a warmth she deeply yearned for and needed. Just another day out and away from what was known, this, for now, was...home.