Latch-key legends

I hated that my parents always were home. After school, at dinner, on the weekends. They were, always, there.

Cool kids had absent parents, parents who worked late, parents who traveled for business... parents who didn't hover.

The best example is probably Alex Miller's parents, whom I met probably not more than twice, though I knew him for ten years. The Millers were exotic (read: money), living in a fantastic Spanish style ranch on the top of the mountain. Alex, and earlier, his older sister and brother (who was in my sister's grade) was watched over by a housekeeper named Pearl, who was strict but with a smile. As far I was concerned, Pearl ran the house. Pearl seemed to like me especially and would serve us limitless treats and put up with Alex's demands for more cookies or me staying for dinner. There was warmth in their relationships, though, where he knew there was a line he couldn't cross and one in which she found blurred. I would go to Alex's house as often as I could. Not just because of Pearl. But because Alex had every toy imaginable, especially the latest Atari war games. My favorite was "Star Raiders." The only downside of visiting Alex, however, was that he was a total jock, and there always was a risk we'd have to play soccer, and once, even plastic jai-lai. At least my parents never forced me to play sports.

Chaz Weiss also had parents working, and I spent a lot of time at his big house on Hillside Avenue. Both parents were doctors, one a radiologist, and the other, well, I have no idea, but he did publish a book. Chaz also had a Pearl, but she wasn't 'live-in' and Chaz's adored me, especially because she thought I kept Chaz on the 'right track' - doing his homework and what not. A good influence is what they call it now. Chaz's Pearl encouraged me to visit often and I found myself staying over Chaz's constantly, nearly every week. We could stay up late, logging onto his parents CompuServe computer network (this is pre-internet) on which we'd pretend to be adult men hitting on women. We'd order sneak across the highway to play video games at the Ground Round, or we'd stay in, order in pizza, watch movies or go swimming -- Chaz has the one thing Alex didn't -- a pool.

Nitter's folks worked too, and his mother's ob/gyn office was even in the house. But they trusted him on an unheard-of level: when his parents went on vacation to, say, Mexico, Nitter stayed home alone. This was utterly fascinating and drove my own parents crazy. "How could they leave him alone? Maybe he should stay here?" But Nitter was a trustworthy, A-plus student, whose behavior was more mature than people five years older. He probably could microwave dinners by-himself and take out the trash. And he did have a moped to take himself places. But a thirteen year-old boy taking care of himself for a week...alone? Even if his parents were...European?!?!

Why weren't my parents rich? Why didn't they work more? Why didn't they trust me? Why weren't they... European?