Are there houses in Texas?

The thing to do after school on our block is to hang out and play games.  There are a lot of kids out some afternoons playing in the last bits of warmth that fall is granting us.

When they see Emily and I they come running and invite us to play the games they've come up with.  Usually they just play catch with the football, but sometimes for some extra competition, they take the basketball and stand on opposite sides of the street.  The point is to throw the ball and hit the vertical part of the curb and get the basketball to come back at you- that's how you score.  Each kid takes turns throwing the basketball back and forth.  It's a pretty good use for the ball, since they don't have a hoop.

I sat down on the curb next to one of the smaller kids on the block.  He's only 7, so he can't quite keep up with the kids who are 8 or 9 and have a good 30 pounds on him.  You can tell he's frustrated, but he takes it in pretty good stride, usually by laughing and accusing the biggest kid that he's cheating: "Look at him smilin'!  He's cheatin'!" he laughs and points. 

I shiver at the cold, and he tries to put his tiny jacket around me.  Next to me, Emily is learning how to throw a football.

After our football lessons we head inside for dinner.  The kids don't want to let us go and we get caught up listening to them talk.  One boy asks us, "Have you ever been to Atlanta?  Have you seen a tall black man with a bald head?  That's my Dad."  At this point his sister joins in and says, "Yeah, if you see him, tell him to call us!"  Before we can respond the boy is telling us about how his Dad lives in a mansion and launches into a list of other factors we can use to identify him should we ever find ourselves in Atlanta.

"Have you guys been to Atlanta?"  I ask.

"No," they say, "but," says the boy, and he starts to get so excited that he can't hardly speak, "but we're going to Texas!"  His sister starts freaking out, "I can't believe we're going to Texas!!" and they commence to jumping around with shrieks of laughter and excitement.

Once they calm down (a little) the boy looks at us and in all seriousness asks, "Do they have houses in Texas?"

Emily and I laugh, "Yeah, they do."