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Small town character
The great thing about living for a long time in a small community is that you never go anywhere without seeing someone you know.
That's the bad thing, too, however.
You can't go anywhere without seeing someone you know, and someone whose name you no longer recall, and mistake someone's child for another of their children, and someone you annoyed some time in the past and wish they didn't remember YOU.
I've lived in Fauquier County for over a dozen years now, and I've had time to forget stuff and time to do stuff I wish I could forget. Long enough to have one child go from elementary to college. Long enough to have a baby become a person who recognizes people I don't know when we go out. My kids have grown up here - and I realize lately that so have I.
I'm on my third or fourth career here, which sounds flighty, but since I ended up as a writer I can just say it was all "research." I've lived in rural Fauquier and in-town Fauquier. I've talked people into moving to Fauquier, though I don't know if I've driven anyone out. We've gone from the era of book store in Old Town to no book store to Borders. We've known pre-Wal-Mart and post Home Depot. I've seen people born, and die.
Last month I visited another small community: my home town in Massachusetts. It has changed over time, absolutely. I've been gone so long I had to look at a map to find a neighborhood I used to visit all the time.
But I was in town for less than an hour when I went to the grocery store to pick some things up for a family event and believe it or not, I ran into a schoolmate in the deli section. They say you can't go home again. I can't leave!
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