The Green Years (ARC)

by Karen Wolff

  The Katydid Ice Cream and Candy Store was open and doing a big business. Once inside, my stomach rolled with hunger as we stood in front of bins of chocolate candies, caramels, fruity gumdrops, and toffee. Families were enjoying ice cream cones; mothers were kept busy wiping messy faces.

  “Maybe you want something?” Sam asked, and I nodded eagerly. We sat at a little table and ordered chocolate sundaes. I ate mine in a few seconds, and while I waited for Sam, I noticed a shelf nearby with stacks of flyers about the neighborhood. One advertised a scenic route through the Country Club district and its 200 acres of America’s most beautiful residential section.

  “Look, Sam. It’s a map to keep it in the pocket of your automobile to use the next time you are pleasure driving.”

  He grinned and his high-pitched giggle escaped. “Maybe you know somebody with an automobile?” He knew perfectly well I’d show it to the Bellwoods and hope they’d want a tour.

  Our sundaes finished, we went outside and turned a corner onto 63rd Street. “See here, Sam. It’s the new Piggly-Wiggly Store. You remember? We read about it in the paper. It’s a self-serve store.”

  “Self-serve?” he said. “How does it work, Harry?”

  We stood with our hands cupped around our eyes peering through the window. This was nothing like our grocery store back home in Richmond. A wooden turnstile at the front door led the customer to a line of straw baskets. “See those?” I said. “You take a basket and go around the store putting the things in it that you want to buy. You wait on yourself.” Shelves were piled high with goods on every side. Canned fruit and vegetables were arranged in pyramids a few feet apart throughout the store. Two cash registers sat by scales for weighing fresh foods. “And when you’re done, you take your basket to the counter and pay.”

  “I see, Harry,” Sam said as understanding spread across his face. “Not so many clerks to run this store. Smart men, these Piggle Wiggle people.”

  His enthusiasm grew as we continued our walk. “Maybe you have a good idea, Harry. We will think.” We even found a possible location across from the filling station.

  “We could call the new store Sam’s Radio and Electric,” I said.

  He looked at me smiling. “Maybe we call it Harry’s Radio and Electric. Maybe we make a partnership.”

  My heart just about jumped out of my chest at his words. I danced around in excitement and gave him a big hug. At last, I might have the chance I’d longed for, a chance to amount to something. I just knew we could make a go of it.

  WHEN I VISITED the Bellwood’s, I could talk of nothing else, and they became excited too. Ed said, “It sounds like a real opportunity for you, Harry. Nothing to lose, as far as I can see.” Carol Ann was a little nervous, but she trusted me. I asked if they would like to see Brookside, maybe take the tour that the brochure suggested, and so we climbed into their car.

  Carol Ann and I rode in the back seat with her parents in the front. At the last minute her brother Jerry decided to go and crowded in with us. I didn’t mind too much because I was eager to sit close and cuddle as much as I dared. It was a nippy fall day and Carol Ann wore her new dark green coat and matching hat that drew out the color of her eyes. Tiny freckles, left over from summer, still showed across her nose even as her cheeks became pink in the brisk air. She had never looked more adorable. I squeezed her hand and said, “Look at these houses, Carol Ann. Can you imagine what it’d be like to live in one?” I wondered how soon I could afford one of the bungalows. It could be our first home.

  Her mother said, “They’re beautiful, Harry. I can see why you like it out here.” Turning to her husband, she said, “What do you think, Ed?”

  “What I like best,” he said, “is that it’s far enough south that you don’t get so much of the stockyards smell.”

  We all laughed, but I thought how glad I was that I didn’t work at Armour’s where I’d have had that smell in my nostrils all the time.

  After we explored Brookside, we parked in front of the Katydid. Carol Ann and I bought some chocolates and wandered down the street looking in shop windows while Jerry and her parents had sodas. The heels of her new red shoes clicked on the pavement as we walked. Around the corner and out of sight we had a couple of nice, chocolaty kisses before we turned back. I felt so happy and confident; I wished the day could last forever. My dreams were beginning to be within reach.

  GRAM WROTE TO me about how relieved she was that I had a good job. She told me about church events, who died, which customers didn’t pay their bills on time, all the small town stuff. She said the Feds had shut Granddad down a couple of times, and he paid some big fines, but of course he went right back to selling beer when he figured they’d cleared out. “Stubborn fool,” she wrote. Gram never mentioned my father, and I was grateful. I sent her a few short notes about my work and, once in a while, a postcard of Kansas City scenes.

  I longed to tell them about my exciting news, but I didn’t do it. Gram would tell me not to count my chickens, and Ty might resent being stuck in Richmond while I was having a great time in Kansas City.

  I felt a little homesick whenever a letter came, but then I’d realize I was right where I wanted to be. I could see my girl and talk to her. I could hold her and kiss her whenever we could escape her parents. Also, I was wrapped up in the business. When I considered everything, the homesick feeling faded away.

  OVER THE HOLIDAYS Ty wrote to me. It was a long letter for him. He’d met a girl named Daisy Vogelzang at a dance, and he’d fallen hard. He thanked me for teaching him the polka and two-step. Rather than describe her, he sent a picture. I was to look at it and send it back. It made me laugh out loud to realize Ty still couldn’t find many words for things.

  I studied the picture of his gal and decided she wasn’t exactly pretty. Her face was narrow and her nose seemed too big for her face, but her smile made her look kind. For Ty’s sake, I sure hoped she was.

  He went on to say that Gram’s knees were plaguing her, and Granddad was down sick with his bad lungs. A little flicker of concern went through me. I wondered how they were getting along at the store with Granddad in bed and Gram having to tend him. Surely Ty would be able to manage. Anyhow, there wasn’t much I could do about it.

  DURING THE CHRISTMAS season, Sam and I continued to talk about a branch store. Nothing got decided while we were so busy, but after the New Year’s holiday, he had me make an appointment with the J. C. Nichols Realty Company in Brookside.

  Sam said, “I’ll call Ida Klump to stay in the store. Nobody’ll want to buy from her. Ida Klump is such a grump.” He giggled at his awful rhyme. “But she’s honest. Won’t steal from me.”

  At Brookside, we met an agent, Mr. Rutledge, in the landlord’s office and talked about the empty space we’d seen on our first trip. He had all the information—the square footage; the shared cost of a sign; options for finishes including colors, flooring, counters, and all the rest. I was astounded, never dreaming that there was so much involved in setting up a new business.

  Mr. Rutledge asked lots of questions. What brands would we feature? Would we need a loading dock? Office space? A toilet room? What kind of advertising did we do in our current location? How would we handle it for the new store? Did we plan to make deliveries? I couldn’t think fast enough to answer, but when Sam told him about the success of his current store, he seemed satisfied that we were legitimate.

  He told us about the merchants’ association and how we’d automatically become members if we rented a space.

  “We’ll put an article in the newsletter about your store once you sign a lease. It’ll announce the grand opening and tell about the fine things you plan to sell. Your business will prosper.”

  “Slow down, Mr. Rutledge,” Sam said. “We have to do some thinking first.”

  “Well, let me send a copy of our lease home with you. You can read it and call me if you have questions. We’d really like to have your business here, Mr. Rubin.”

  We headed back to
our store, my head buzzing with ideas.

  “We should buy a truck now, Sam. I could start deliveries right away.”

  “Not yet, Harry.”

  “Should we look for a secondhand desk for the office?” I asked.

  “You get ahead of yourself, Harry. First we figure overhead. We have to pay insurance and heat. And telephone, don’t forget. They pay the water. How much money to stock the store with all those nice things you want to sell? Quite a lot. Then we see if we can make a profit. See if there’s anything left to pay Harry.” He cackled.

  “And advertising, Sam. We’ll have to advertise.”

  He threw up his hands. “Oy, so much to think about. It makes my head tired.”

  My head was not tired, however. I got out some paper, a ruler, and a pencil. Whenever I had a free moment, I drew floor plans, figuring where the counter should go, how to arrange the shelves and tables. I had an idea to wall off a small area of the store for radios, where customers could listen and try out different models without store noise. We’d be able to squeeze in some refrigerators and washing machines too, but I hadn’t raised that with Sam yet.

  “We’ll need a cash register,” I said. “And some sales books.”

  “Better make a list, Harry, so not to forget anything.”

  I raced to do it and gave it to him before I left that day.

  “You didn’t forget much,” he said as he read it. “You even got toilet paper down here.”

  “Well, we’re going to have a restroom.”

  He looked at me kindly. “It would give me great pleasure just to buy the store for you, Harry, but it’s not a toy. It’s a business. We have to be sure.”

  In spite of his caution, it was thrilling to fantasize about our new store, to imagine myself ordering handsome merchandise—lamps, waffle irons, fans, irons, and especially radios. I’d handle the advertising and sales myself. Every night I called Carol Ann and talked over the plans.

  “I wish I could be a part of it,” she said. “It sounds so exciting. I’d rather help you than go to Normal School.”

  “Wouldn’t that would be great? I’d love it if we could work together.”

  “My mother would have a fit. She wants me to be a teacher. Ever since I was a little girl, that’s what she’s talked about.”

  “You’d be a great teacher if that’s what you want, Carol Ann, but I’d sure rather have you with me.”

  “I do like kids, but the idea of teaching little squirts all day every day doesn’t excite me as much as what you’re doing.”

  “Well, maybe your mom will change her mind. After all she doesn’t own you.”

  “We’ll see.”

  That gave me an idea. When the time came, I’d ask Sam if Carol Ann could work in the store. It would take two of us to manage it, I was sure. If I had to make deliveries, she could run the store. And so I dreamed and dreamed, always imagining a rosy future complete with wedding plans just as soon as I could afford it.

  A couple of days later, I overheard Sam talking on the telephone to his lawyer friend, Michael Delman. Sam always shouted when he was on the phone, and anybody who was in the store could hear him easily.

  “Mike, just see about this lease. Is it okay to sign? Not crooked?” There was a pause, then, “I need a letter, to make a partner.” Another pause. “Yes, the boy who works here, Harry Spencer.”

  It was then I knew it was all going to happen, making me the luckiest fellow on earth! Even though I tried to remain nonchalant, straightening the shelves and adjusting price tags, I could feel my heart thumping inside my chest.

  “Maybe we have that new store ready by March or April, Harry.”

  “That’d be wonderful,” I said, bursting with such joy I was unable to say more.

  LATE THAT AFTERNOON, the telephone rang, and I heard Sam answer it. “Oh. It’s Harry you want? Just a minute. He’s here.”

  “For you, Harry. Long distance it is.” His eyes were big as he handed me the receiver. I’d never had a call from anyone except Carol Ann, and a jolt went through me as I realized it must be from home.

  “Hello.”

  “Harry. Is that you?

  “Yes. Ty? Is that you, Ty?”

  “Harry, Granddad…” His voice faded.

  I said, “What? What are you saying?”

  Then his voice was back again. “It’s Granddad, Harry. He got real bad. He didn’t make it.”

  “You mean he…he died?”

  “Yeah. This morning. Gram wants you…” His voice faded away again.

  “Can you hear me, Ty? What does Gram want?” I got the words “come home” clearly enough.

  “Can you come?”

  “I’ll try,” I said. But he was already gone. I stood stunned, shocked, and unsure what to do.

  Sam looked at me, his huge eyebrows humped up. He asked, “What, Harry? What?”

  “It’s Granddad. He’s gone. Dead.”

  “Oh, that’s bad news. I’m very sorry.” He continued to look at me. “It’s all right if you need to go home. Maybe you should.”

  I couldn’t figure out if he meant home to my rooming house, or home to Richmond.

  “I…I want to stay here.”

  “All right. That’s all right, Harry.”

  It seemed like I should continue what I’d been doing, so I turned back to the shipment of lampshades I’d been unpacking, but my hands shook. I couldn’t think what to do with the shades, and I made a jumbled mess. Try as I might to get control of myself, I just couldn’t. My brain wouldn’t work right.

  Sam took me by the shoulder. “Come. Sit down, Harry. Stay until I come back.” He pushed me down onto the steps leading up to his apartment and went to take care of the customers who were in the store.

  I was breathing hard for some reason. Granddad’s gone, that funny little man I had taken for granted was gone. I’d never see him again. It was hard to absorb.

  When the customers left, I heard Sam lock the front door and turn out the lights even though it wasn’t yet closing time. That’s my job. Why was he doing my job?

  He came back to me. “This the first time you lose family, eh?”

  “Granddad’s not family,” I said. “He’s my step-grandfather.”

  “He helped raise you, feed you, gave you a bed, didn’t he?”

  I nodded and blurted out, “We slept in the same bed. When I was little.”

  He smiled. “Well, that’s family, Harry. Don’t ever forget.” He went to a little cupboard in the back room and scrabbled around until he came up with a bottle of schnapps and a glass. He poured some and handed it to me.

  “Drink. It will help.”

  I did as he said and felt the sting in my nose and throat.

  “I can’t think,” I said. “Gram wants me to come home. How can I do that?”

  “Easy, Harry. You get on the train tonight and go. Your grandmother. She’ll need you.” He waited a minute, then said, “You call your girl now. Tell her.”

  The fog in my head began to lift as I reached for the telephone. As soon as I heard Carol Ann’s voice, I was on familiar ground, and the shakiness grew less.

  Her warm voice filled my ear. “I’m so sorry, Harry. It must be a terrible shock.”

  “I’ve never had a long-distance call before. Isn’t it silly that it scared me?” That was a stupid remark, and I knew it the minute it was out of my mouth. I should be thinking about Granddad instead of myself.

  “No, it’s not silly. Are you all right? Do you want me to come down and help you pack?”

  “No. I’ll be all right. I’m going home now to get my suitcase.”

  “I love you, Harry. Take care of yourself while you’re gone. Take care of Gram.”

  IN MY ROOMING house, I managed to get some clothes together and tell my landlady I’d be away for a few days. I walked in the cold to Union Station and had bought my ticket before I realized how hungry I was. Sam had tucked a ten-dollar bill in my pocket, and I used some of it for a plate of bar
bequed pork floating in hot, spicy sauce and some ginger ale. As I spent his money, I remembered I hadn’t even thanked him for it. What a hopeless clod. When would I start acting like an adult?

  The good food went down easily, and, as I waited for my train, I began to feel more like myself. I could handle this. I had a duty to perform for my family, and I was determined to do it. Kansas City would still be here when it was all over.

  ON THE TRAIN I crawled into a window seat still warm from the previous occupant. The car wasn’t filled, and I was happy not to have to talk to anyone. The Negro conductor came along and looked at my ticket for Beaverton.

  “You goin’ up north? I hope you like it cold.” He brought me a blanket in case I wanted to sleep. I thanked him and fell to replaying all that had happened today, trying to imagine what it would be like to go back home, a place I thought I’d never see again. Ty said Gram needed me. She was so self-sufficient; it puzzled me why she had him say that. I wondered how she felt about Granddad being gone. Their marriage wasn’t easy with him so irresponsible and stubborn, yet they must have had fun at some time, maybe in the beginning. She’d miss him, but she’d get along all right.

  I recalled everything I could about Granddad. How happy he was when I got my bike, how he egged me on to ask another girl to a dance when Carol Ann wouldn’t go with me. And he never once got cross with us kids when we were small.

  People laughed at his jokes and loved his fiddle playing. He made friends with everybody. He was such a softie; he couldn’t make himself ask his charge customers for payment, but left that to Gram. Yet he was as determined as a mule when it came to his beer. Nobody could stop him when he wanted something to drink.

  Did I love him, I wondered? I’d shed no tears, nor was I likely to. I didn’t hold a lot of respect for his business sense, but I felt a soft warmth and smiled as I thought about him. Maybe, if he’d been my real grandfather, it would have felt different, but maybe not.