your family had moved to Florida after losing your grandparents home to the bank
it was cheaper down there or something and your dad needed the fresh start and said there was work down here
you didn't know why yourself
you had lost all your friends
hindsight could be a bitch because you regretted not getting anyone's phone numbers
going over a state felt like going to China
hadn't even gotten into middle school yet and this happened
very demoralizing
your life completely changed by decisions out of your own power
it had put you in a mood for days
summer had started so you weren't immediately going to school
dad was a truck driver and mom was a working retail and a waitress job on the side
you were mature enough to know both of them weren't at fault here but that didn't stop you from being gloomy about the whole thing regardless
a lot of brooding in your muggy room
you didn't have much to do but read the same old comics you had brought with you
times were lean and an entertainment budget was really nonexistent
you were pondering over being a little industrious an seeing if the neighborhood needed lawns mowed for money
mom had suggested it and it sounded lame at the time
but having YOUR money
that became more and more tantalizing when you got bored
the shack out back of the house had one of those crappy old manual push mowers
so it would be tougher work but mom and dad wouldn't let you handle gasoline anyways
plus no overhead
today was the day you finally said fuck it
well not that because mom would have smacked you upside the head for saying the f word
reading the same issue of a comic you'd had for a year finally did it
the allure of dollars guided you
plus it couldn't be much hotter outside
moving from Georgia to here wasn't the biggest change but there sure was more swamp
made things a hell of a lot more humid
with you being a latchkey kid, you were allowed a bit of freedom
so you went door to door
usually greeted by annoyance
eventually one or two customers >a kindly old lady happily took you up on your offer
she warned about gators when you did the back
you didn't think much of that
maybe it's a local joke
you weren't familiar with wildlife here, given how much you hid inside after the move
she paid you 5 dollars for like 1 hour with of work
it felt like forever but it was worth it
next lawn was 3
eventually you amassed 20 bucks
it took you all Saturday but you were rich
you got a little greedy and went for one more place
a bit down the street and around the corner
a large gator man greeted you at the door
dude towered over you
you thought your dad was the biggest guy you knew
he looked a little intimidating but you went through your practiced sales pitch
he mulled over it for a moment then agreed
his lawn was easy, the back led out to marshland
while doing the back you noticed a kid your age on the porch
he was an alligator like his dad
initially he was quietly watching but when you got around the house he started asking questions
the usual
did you just move here?
what school did you go to?
did you like video games?
you worked and held a conversation
his name was Noah Elijah Johnson
he also liked video games
but his parents wouldn't let him play anything cool
by the end of it you were sure you had made a friend
at least it was nice to have company in this strange new neighborhood
you told him where your house was if he wanted to hang out
after finishing off the yard the dad greeted you at the door once more
he seemed satisfied
Noah sort of hung around the door frame as his dad came out and inspected all your work
he gave you 3 dollars and then glanced over to Noah
”why can't you be more like this boy Noah?”
the question was harsh, even you picked up on it
made you a little less proud about your work seeing the alligator kid look down to his feet
you felt sort of awkward and thanked the dad for the money and sort of excused yourself
it was getting late and the sun was eventually going to set on the neighborhood
you were hungry too
you said bye to Noah
hopefully you didn't get him in trouble