"Not here, what's this idiot doing, c'mon- I'm going to miss it!" Small town streets are always crowded toward the end of the day and there's no where for the school bus to stop. As we came into town I always urged the driver to pull over straight away as it was closer to my road but all too often the station wagon's and utes that lined the thorough-fair added more to the walk home.
"If this dick head goes past the milk bar I'm going to lose it, It's already 10 to 4" It was true, the bus driver didn't know what I was up against, 10 mins to get home- like to see him try. 'The Fresh Prince of Belair' was on at 4 and I didn't want to miss it. I used to watch it with my next door neighbour, he went to a different school and his bus always ran on time and dropped him at an easier spot too. Although he was always home before me I found comfort in that his school's uniform was poo brown in colour.
It always seemed to be hot when I had somewhere to be. Pretty sure Channel 9 only used to air 'TPOB' in spring or summer because that 4 o'clock deadline always seemed to have the odds stacked against it. Why couldn't they have aired in the winter instead of 'Cheers', I mean I love 'Cheers' but when it comes to a one on one with 'The Fresh Prince'..... pfft, not even Woody could beat Will's rapper charm. I once met a kid on holidays who prided himself on knowing all the words to 'Boom' by 'Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince'. Even then I wanted to tell him he was an idiot but he got a mini TV for Christmas so it was in my best interests to be friends in the hope I'd be able to watch Warnie bowl in the cricket.
There was a certain tactic to getting home that was a daily ritual. Step 1- March past the milk bar and resist the temptation of a 'big boss' musk stick. Step 2- Put your head down rounding the corner of the hair dresser just in case you made awkward eye contact with the one who gave your last bad hair cut and then, Step 3- Walk the hill. I hated that hill. Before I could taste the dirt of our road I had to first climb that hill. An average day to get up that hill would take a good 15 minutes with mindless meandering and stalling as you hoped for a lift. On the other hand, a personal best of 6 mins 27 secs to get home was a ball tearer! I can confidently say I went through some character developing moments on that hill. Legend had it that a kid once went down on his bmx wearing only shorts and thongs and lost all his skin after a fall. It was a hill to fear.
When you reach the top you've got to walk past that dodgy house on the corner. There was always older kids outside who gave you shit as you walked past and everyday you hoped they weren't there. Nowadays you can see them down the street and give them a look thats says "ahh its you, looks like you're still a dick head"
Around the corner and it's the final stretch, the long dirt road. God forbid the council had just grated it, that just made it tougher to navigate the walk. To anyone else it wasn't a problem but, to these little legs any loose gravel was an obstacle. Walking that road on a hot day felt like you were in a desert. No shade from the gums, each passing car layered you in a dusty blanket and not a short cut in sight. At this point there was a light at the end of the tunnel though, or in this case a tunnel of Eucalyptus branches at the end of the road. Reaching that tunnel gave you new hope, a new energy, from there it was smooth sailing, those Clark's school shoes kicked in a new gear and your defeated slouch turned into a triumphant march toward the driveway. 60, 58, 56, 54, 52- I'm Home! running up that driveway you can almost hear Will's first joke about Carlton's ignorance. As you put the key in the door the theme song was playing in your head like a victorious ballad. Inside on the slate floor the air engulf's you like air from the open meat and dairy fridges at the supermarket. Shoes and shirt off you lunge for the tv remote. "Shit, ads are on!" thats okay though, still time to run to the freezer and get a sunny boy and make this day one to remember. The last 10 seconds of a ch. 9 ad about 'Hey Hey' is on and you know it's coming, sure you've probably missed the song but that's okay because Youtube was only 10 short years away and you could watch it whenever you wanted then. Yessssssss! back from commercial break, this is going to be awesome! and then, "Shit! it's a bloody repeat"
It's a fair judgement that the Fresh Prince was an important part of my day which I stressed over. In hind sight it wasn't so much the show but the importance of being home, spending time with friends and life's little luxury of a 'sunny boy' on a hot day. Looking back I can laugh that that was the most important thing going on in my life (more important than homework and girls) which allows me to laugh at any current situation which may be causing worry. So matter the hill's you're climbing or the long dusty stretches of road to walk (metaphor's to die for...), find your Fresh Prince of Bel air and laugh a little.
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