Sitting out by the front gate during the early evening I look toward the horizon, the sky is turning all different shades of yellow and orange as the sun begins to set. A nice gentle breeze begins to come in off the shore. It is a warm evening but the breeze helps to sooth the heat as it gently sweeps over my body. Lunchtime is just about over and the younger kids should start coming out anytime now. I look around and see that life has not really changed much since the days when I grew up here.
             I sat back and took a long drag off my cigarrette, nobody was around. After all this time, the houses are still the same, lined up one by one next to each other. The homes sit away from the street, and all have high compound walls that divide property lines. Their gates open to the street and the continuous wall forms the large circular roundabout. In the center of the roundabout there is a large grassy area and a courtyard that has a playing field and playground set up – usually after lunchtime the neighborhood kids gather to play soccer and games. I glance to the fountain built into the wall of the home directly across the street from us – memories of icy water spouting out, and kids lining up for a refreshing sip after a long game on a hot afternoon, was the first thing that came to mind – the pit stop that everyone has access to. I walked over to get a sip. The crisp icy water was too cold to drink and gave me a brain freeze.
             My father's neighbor Mr. Mohammed and his grandchildren are the first to come out. Even when I was a child it seemed that Mohammed and his children were always the first to finish eating and meet the rest of the neighborhood in the courtyard. He has enough grandchildren to form two small soccer teams, they really don't need the rest of the neighborhood children. One by one the other families begin to trickle out. It is my first day back after three years in the...