Disturbing the Peace

Yes, yes, you've seen a photo of Molly's house before. Recently, in fact. But that was before the peace was disturbed, possibly even destroyed.

Perhaps you notice the hieroglyphics on the street? And the jarring metal plate on the road in front of Molly's house?

It all began last Thursday night, when Gus and Cotton stood bolt upright at 9:15-that's pm-while Molly was reading I am Bossy. Odd, Molly thought. That's when Molly heard the

beep

beep

beep.

Odd, Molly thought. That's a noise that big trucks make when they're backing up. It's dark. People are parked on both sides of the street. How could a big truck get down the street moving forward, let alone backward? Well. It didn't go down the street where big trucks have gone before. Oh no.

It stopped dead in front of Molly's house. Gus and Cotton were beside themselves. [Beside themselves means BARKING at full volume] Then there was a chain noise. Odd, Molly thought. Well, that sounds like a tow truck. Some neighbor must have a car problem.

Seconds later there was a big clang. It was so loud it stopped the BARKING. But only for a minute.

The clang was a metal plate being carefully lowered to the road to cover the hole that has been in the asphalt in the street in front of Molly's house for all the years she has lived here. 2 and a half years. Okay, this must be a sign that the City of Atlanta plans at some point in our lifetime to repair the street.

[For the record, most of downtown and midtown Atlanta roads are a patchwork of metal plates. Some just put down on the road so that drivers are optimistic the plate is there only for a short time. Some are edged in asphalt to minimize the change in grade from the street to the plate, meaning the plate is here to stay for a while.]

So. Back to Molly's street. If you look at the picture you will notice that the metal plate does not match the slight curve in the center of Molly's street which is planfully put there to help the water runoff the street. You know what that means don't you?

Every time Molly's neighbors or the people who think Molly's street is not a dead end as it is clearly marked drive down Molly's street, there is a clang. It took Gus and Cotton 3 days to accept that racket as normal. That meant BARKING every time someone drove over the metal plate.

Molly wonders if this is an infringement of her right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Perhaps getting rid of the plate is the pursuit of happiness?

Note: Molly wrote this in the third person a la Bossy because she was reading I am Bossy when the plate arrived. Molly enjoys I am Bossy. Bossy would so know how to deal with metal plates arriving in the middle of the night.