NEIL KEENAN | Neil’s Tales

I Heard it Through the Grapevine

Children are naturally curious beings. Neil’s younger years were filled with discovery and “Show and No Tell” moments locked in memories.

All little boys and girls have their own favorite secret play space.  Little girls find theirs at home where a little floor area becomes a tea party with dolls and imagined gossip.

Little boys usually find their secret place outdoors in hidey spots known as forts, camps, tree houses and “boy caves”.  

Country boys have it easy as they have hay barns, open fields, wooded creeks and all sorts of cool places.  City boys have it tough as secret space is limited to vacant buildings, rooftops and derelict cars in vacant lots.

Neil was one of those “city boys” in search of his own secret place.  He had a big backyard to play in but nowhere to hide, no trees for tree forts, no sheds, and no “cover”. 

He searched all over his yard and then one day in mid-Summer he spotted the flourishing grapevines that created a growing green fence between his property and his neighbor’s yard.

 Investigating he parted the leafy vines hanging untrimmed to the ground and found “HIS SECRET PLACE”.  This was perfect!  He crawled in and patted down a bed of dried leaves.  He was now a happy boy.



Of course, he told no one about his hidey hole…..well, except for the little girl down the street who he enticed to venture into his lair. 

One thing  led to another and a curious kids “Show and No Tell” session of comparative anatomy ensued, with the young lady amazed by how that little thing would grow so big, and with rubbing like Aladdin’s Lamp another thing happened! 

With birds chirping and bees buzzing, carnal knowledge was passed to another generation.  And the gossip at the little girl’s tea parties with other neighborhood girls, meant that Neil had an Aladdin’s Summer in his Secret Place.

And even to this day women still remember approaching Neil saying “I heard it through the grapevine…..”

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