The Country Store
I can remember, as far back as I can remember, my maternal grandmother and grandfather always being a big part of my life. It has been told to me by my mom that I lived with my grandmother and grandfather some during WWII because my dad was in the Air Force and during the time he was transferring from one state to another we stayed with my grandparents until my dad got settled in then we traveled by rail to where my dad was stationed for a period of time. At other times when we couldn’t live with my dad, my mom worked and lived in Dallas with her sister coming home on weekends via the Interurban between Dallas and McKinney to be with me at my grandparents. However, I just remember mostly going to their home during the summer. We lived up north when the war was over and they still lived in Texas. They had a little country store and gas station with living quarters in the back.
Country stores and neighborhood stores were a boon during the early years, up until supermarkets came on the scene. No one got rich running those little stores, but it was a simple time when not much was required to make folks happy. They gathered together for entertainment and played dominoes or cards. Television was for rich folks. Later my grandparents got a television and I remember my grandfather watching wrestling every Saturday night. The commercial with the little bear rolling a log in the river and thumping out the song, “From the land of sky blue waters…” which advertised Hamm's beer was always intriguing to me along with the advertisement portraying a handsome cowboy on a horse smoking his cigarette and staring into the sunset. He was known as the Marlboro man. I didn’t care that much for Gorgeous George except he was dressed like a knight and wore gold and wrestled. I was bored fast and soon was outside counting the stars or just listening to the night sounds. People came to the store clear up until bedtime to pick up a few items. Grandma and Grandpa were always glad to see them. They knew most people who frequented the store. Most would come in and sit down and talk for a while. They sat on empty wooden coke boxes and passed the time. We thought of them all as family. Everyone drank from the same dipper. We reeled the bucket down into the well and back up full of water and put the dipper in - - we were never sick!
Over time we moved back to Texas and I hated it except for getting to see my grandparents often and I adored them. They were good to me. My favorite foods in the store were canned milk and Grape Nuts. My sister liked the candy and cokes. When I was with my grandparents I felt secure and loved. Grandma always wished she had a real living room, so one year grandpa hauled, by hand mostly, wood from a building that had been torn down and added the living room. I think that living room killed him eventually because the summer was hot and he insisted on building that room for “Babe” as he called grandma. They enjoyed it for a short time before grandpa had his first heart attack. The doctor told him to go home and not exert himself. He continued to do what he always did and one day when he and his bulldog, Butch had been down to the creek, he collapsed just as he got back to the gate by the store. Grandma saw him and went running out to see what was wrong. He could not get up, and she ran to the house to get him water. He was dead when she returned. I remember that so well. I came home on the school bus and we always passed the store. My little sister, Kathy, usually got off at grandma and grandpa’s house, and I rode the bus on around to our house which was close by. I was a senior in High School then and sort of outgrew being with my grandparents as much. I had homework and chores to complete before mom and dad got home from work. I noticed my aunt Bet’s car there which I found to be particularly weird at this time of the day because she worked and shouldn’t be home that early. I noticed a few other cars there and called when I got home. Aunt Bet was crying and said grandpa had passed away earlier in the day. My friend, Frieda, came over shortly after I found out the news and helped me wash up the dishes while we both sobbed the whole time. Her mom and dad had called her at school and told her. She knew before I did. Mom came home from work and dad walked out to the car to meet her and I saw her collapse into his arms and sob. It was a tough day!
My grandmother continued to run the store that year. I was a senior and getting married 2 weeks after high school graduation. My mom was expecting a baby, my brother, and she and dad started talking about moving to town. After I married they did move. My grandmother stayed in the country but she was scared and my parents were scared for her, so she moved in with my parents. Later she got her own apartment. My uncle’s wife died and left him with 2 little children so grandma moved to Houston. Eventually they all moved to McKinney and my grandmother helped him with his children. Then he met and married a wonderful woman and she helped him finish raising Cindy and Randy along with her 4 children. They had a houseful. Grandma eventually moved across the street from mom and dad. Every day I could see her and I enjoyed her. She spent the night with me and we would sit up late and watch television. My brother and my daughter Angie would go over and spend Saturday nights with her and watch Saturday Night Wrestling. The funny thing is I always thought grandma tolerated grandpa’s watching Saturday Wrestling, but learned she liked it too.
Grandma would park herself in front of the screen door and wait on her paper about 2 p.m. every day. I said, “Grandma, why do you even read that old paper”? She said, “I read the obituaries to see if I’m in there, if I’m not I keep on living”. She would laugh. One day came grandma had an obituary in the paper and I thought of her and how she said, “…if I’m not in there I’ll keep on living”. This was years ago and I’m not over her yet. I still think of them most every day and I remember all the wisdom she imparted while she was here. I miss that special nurturing her and grandpa allowed me. I thank God I had them, and wish everyone had grandparents like mine were.
My hat is off to you Bessie and Ed for raising some really wonderful children, one of those children is my mom.
posted by Sasebone at
4:39 AM
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