“Thhsshh... Trash collectors!”

As soon as the 12 tire trash truck along with its team appear on our street making a loud sound ‘Thhsshh’,  my toddler rushes to the window and dotingly waves ‘Hi’ and  ‘goodbye’ to them. Sometimes offering his help too.  

He loves to watch this giant white truck with an imprinted American Flag and a phone number. It looks approx. 18 feet high and carries around 5 tons trash in one go. He is amused by services of those workers in fluorescent green vest, hanging on either side of the truck before quickly emptying the usually heavy, stinking bins into this automated vehicle. It chews all waste dumped in its big jaw.

Looking out on street almost everyday in eager anticipation he says, 'Thhsshh...Trash collectors!' and mimics them. 

I recall vividly in my home country we too as children used to wait for people who held significance in our lives then. One of them was home made ice-cream sellers, pushing his wheeled cart and passing through each house; ringing a bell and calling people to relish their favorite sweet.  The bell’s sound was enough to send neighborhood’s kids out on street. Each noon buying those ice candies for few pennies and licking them together with friends were our best past time to beat the summer heat. Change in season meant replacement of eateries. Winters made him bring fresh roasted peanuts, chickpeas, popcorns, hot sweets made of carrots, sweet potatoes and so on. We so much loved these items. 

Other than food, we were completely mesmerized by activities performed by daily bread earners. And at tender age, sometimes even learning their struggle to make ends meet. 

Early mornings began with sweepers manually cleaning road, milkman carrying gallons of milk, newspaper guy delivering varied dailies, students rushing to school, parents hasten to join office, laundary woman bringing washed/ironed clothes, cobbler diligently repairing and polishing shoes for few pennies,  tea/coffee shop owner  preparing snacks and registering his daily sales, store owners worshipping Goddess of money, Beggars chanting holy songs etc.

The usually crowded streets on weekdays were not left empty on weekends either, they were occupied by kids who played host to neighborhood cricket(baseball), soccer teams.    

We were accustomed to viewing mundane affairs behind windows that mostly kids living away from downtown here familiar themselves only through picture books, movies and T.V. shows. Occasional mailmen, grass mowers or dog walkers too grab their eyeballs.

And of course weekly trash collectors who brave harsh weather, exhilarating and motivating many kids as well as keeping our community clean and hygienic.