A long long time ago, back when Huck was a tap dancing star, we would leave preschool with a gaggle of boys and walk across the neighborhood to Broadway where class was held.  On the way we always crossed Bennett Avenue, a quite tree lined street full of apartment buildings, synagogues and families.  We always stopped on the corner to marvel at what one of the dads called “The Magic Tree,” because it somehow grew around two iron fences.  The boys loved to ooo and aww over it before we ushered them back to the sidewalk and onto tap class.  Here they are looking much shorter and younger than I remember them.

Many months later during Columbus Day weekend our realtor friend Jennifer showed me a two bedroom apartment for sale on Bennett, thinking it would be a perfect home for us.  I immediately fell in love with it, but knowing it was out of our reach I said no thank you and left the building to head home.  And then I noticed that right outside one of the bedrooms was the Magic Tree.  I remember gasping dramatically, thinking surely it was a sign.  Then I snapped back to reality and tried to forget about the Bennett Avenue apartment.

A year passed and many more apartments were seen and rejected by the Schremmers.  We knew we needed more space but the prices have really gone up in our neighborhood and it felt like we were stuck in this sweet, crowded one bedroom for the rest of our lives.  During these last few months we’ve even had some serious conversations about leaving New York, feeling like our days of apartment living in this super expensive city might be coming to an end.

And they might, but not for the next year or two.  Because the magic tree found us again!  The owners had no luck selling their beautiful little apartment and have decided to rent it.  And guess who’s the lucky family that gets to live in it for a time?  Us!  Huck has not enjoyed any of this talk of leaving the only home he’s ever known, but I think the magic tree has made him change his mind.

Here’s the sassy six year old now, pointing to his tree.