The only kids I saw locked up at home because of radiation were my neighbors, whom live across from my house in a very modern, stylish designer home that sticks out like a sore thumb in our decaying neighborhood. On the second floor of that house, Ian and I would see two children – one boy and girl about 5 years old – sandwiched between the curtains and the glass door looking out at us everyday. They looked a bit sad, which any kid would be if they were stuck at home on a sunny day, so my roommate and I would wave at them every time we came home. They would wave back expressionless.

Willy and Our Neighbor in the Window

Recently we haven’t seen their house lights on at night, so I guess they are gone…

Our other neighbor is a boy named Hayato who is about 7 or 8 years old. When we first moved to the neighborhood, we knocked on his door to say hello. He stood there playing PSP while we introduced ourselves to his grandma. She was such a sweet old lady, and Hayato was being such a dick to her, which was hard for us to watch… but, with the wisdom that comes with age, she didn’t mind, so we too cut him some slack. Anyways, Hayato was so excited to have young people nearby because every day after school for the first few weeks, he would just open our front door without knocking, barge in, and hang out playing PSP. We didn’t mind, and one day Ian even gave him a skateboard that he had designed... After awhile, he stopped coming over though because I think he finally started making friends, which was good for him, but a little sad for us.

Hayato

These days in the early morning, while I write in the kitchen, I can hear Hayato playing outside my window without a care in the world...

That dick.