My grandmother’s house was the hub of my family. All the family meetings were held there. All birthday parties and holiday celebrations were held in her home. Even the fights held over the phone were settled at her house one way or another. Her house had a large front yard and an even larger back yard. The back yard held my uncles broken-down cars, a garden, a huge tree, and clothing lines to dry clean clothes after washing. The property was fully fenced from the front sidewalk to the back alley and on all four sides of the property. The men mowed the grass and it seemed like a beast to mow. From the front gate was a sidewalk leading up to seven steps to the front porch. There was an iron handrail on the steps and the whole porch was protected by wood deck railing and an awning from the weather. The front porch covered the entire front of the house. There was a storm door that was kept locked along with the entry door. There were windows on both sides of the door. The porch was large and because of this, it became an extension of the house.
In the spring and summer, the front porch was the outdoor living room. There was a large barrel charcoal grill on one end. The porch also contained sitting chairs and a table. As a child, your punishment in the summer included the front porch. If you were severely punished but were allowed outside, your feet better not leave the top step. In others words, stay on the porch. You had to watch your friends play and yell to them, but were not allowed company and they were not allowed inside the fence. If you were being moderately punished, you could leave the porch, but you had to stay inside the fence. If your punishment was a “stay where I can see you”, that meant you could go outside the fence, but were not allowed to go past the front of the house. You can play, skate, or ride your bike from one end of the fence or property line to the other end of the property line. That was almost the worst punishment because you felt the taste of freedom. She was always watching.
In addition to being used to correct children behavior, the front porch was a social place. My aunt was the person who always used the bbq grill and when she grilled, you could get a plate and sit on the steps and eat hot dogs and fresh fruit. Usually, the chairs were reserved for the elders if they were outside. If you were sitting in a chair and my grandma or an aunt came outside, you had to give up the chair to them. We watched who was driving down our one-way street. The porch was where we watched the neighbors’ houses when they were gone. We also saw who was home when they shouldn’t have been home at that time. We saw the police at the neighbors if they were called. Sometimes, we watched neighbors fight and others have their own gatherings.
The porch provided an additional level of protection against the house. My grandmother was a good judge of character. Certain people were not allowed inside the fence. Certain people were allowed inside the gate but were not allowed inside the house – they had to stay on the porch regardless of the weather. I recall many times where I had to stop certain friends at the fence or keep them on the porch instead of inviting them into the house. If they pressed, I had to say, “My mama said I can’t have no company”. If my grandma didn’t know you or didn’t like or trust you, a visitor or friend was not allowed on the porch and especially not inside the house. Only the mailman was given unfettered year round access.
Hair was braided, pressed, and styled on the front porch in the summer. Even the boys had their hair cut with clippers on the front porch. When I was a child, my grandmother would press my hair on the front porch. I’d have to jump up and run inside and down the hallway to the kitchen with the comb to the gas stove in the kitchen. Then wait until it heats up, run it back outside to my grandma, and then sit down while she pressed my hair. All of this with a towel around my shoulders and god forbid if I let it slide off my shoulders to the ground. She would press my hair while blowing the comb as it cooled down. I would be told to stop sweating, but sweating from the exertion, the summer heat and the comb was unavoidable. When she thought the comb was too cool, I had to jump up and run it back to the stove to heat it up again.
I lived with my grandmother off and on for most of my childhood. Looking back, I realize how the set-up of my grandmother’s home exterior played a crucial part in my upbringing. That house and porch served her children and their children. I grew up having to follow and being held to the same house and porch rules as the prior generation. As a child, the porch along with the rules she issued, provided security and stability. My grandmother watched her children and grandchildren play as she sat on the front porch or inside the living room bay windows. Many of us learned how to skate and ride a bike in front of the house. We played jacks on the front porch, tag inside the fence, and four-square on the sidewalk in front of the house. I miss that front porch.