Two Hills in Huntington Beach, California
There are two not-too-steep hills in Huntington Beach that gave me surprisingly detailed memories that I'll never forget.
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The first hill is Ellis Avenue. My mother was driving with my sisters and me. As we got to the hill on Ellis, my mom said something like, "You girls wanna take a little ride?" She was smiling (wow).
She did something to the car that made it quieter, and the car felt different as we went down the hill. I looked over and saw that she was still smiling.
At some point after I began driving, that memory came back to me, and I realized that she'd put the car in neutral. The simple act of coasting made her happy.
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The second hill is Yorktown Avenue. My sisters and I were leaving the Huntington Bowl on our bikes after our league game was over. I was seven years old.
To the right of the road was an open field, with a ravine separating it from the asphalt. We were about halfway down Yorktown when my front wheel began to wiggle. I lost control of my bike and flew over the handlebars into the trash and glass in the ravine.
My sister ran across the street to a house, where she called our mother, then came back to my other sister and me. Before long our stepfather pulled up in the station wagon.
My mother sprung into action. She dressed my cuts, then pulled out the sofa bed and laid me down under the covers. She was very kind to me, which I remember so well because she wasn't usually kind towards us.
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I have very few memories of my mother, and most of them are aren't very good. But these experiences were notable for her enjoyment in sharing something fun with us, and for her caring for me as she did. I won't ever forget.
Oh, yeah - if I'm anywhere near Ellis or Yorktown at Beach Blvd, I coast down those hills. Can't do it without coasting; can't coast without remembering.
= new reply since forum marked as read
We seem to have a couple of things in common. 
