Suddenlys

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history when they set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969 – no other human had ever accomplished such a feat. It was an exciting time, and yet… I was 18 and had just moved to York, Pennsylvania, from Sioux City, Iowa; an unfortunate circumstance had driven me to flee from my family and home. I found myself in a strange city, my boyfriend the only person I knew. I had just met his family – though we would later grow close. I had no TV and no phone. My boyfriend still insisted living at home and was dithering over our relationship. I spent a lot of time alone in the little crummy apartment we had rented together. (We later married and divorced after 10 years). At the time, York was embroiled in a major race riot; my apartment building was located smack dab in the middle of it. The riots started on July 16 and “ended” on July 24. I suppose they have never really ended because 50 years later, York, like the rest of the country, continues grappling with r…