Ice Cold Coke

The iceman then triggered a childhood memory of Charlie's store. I would walk there. It was probably a mile away. There was a long red iron bar that went down one side of the parking area. I imagine it was where you tied up your horse, back in the day, but we would hang upside down by our knees on it and swing away. There was a big red Coca-cola container in the store. You lifted the lid and buried in the icy cold water was a big block of ice and the orange, grape and coca-cola bottles. It was a nickel for a bottle, one of those "old fashioned" green glass ones, of coca-cola. The anticipation of sticking your arm down in that freezing cold water on a hot summer day was more than you could bear. He also had cases with big curved glass fronts that contained penny candy. Decisions, decisions. There were orange slices and root beer barrels and these strips of paper with colored dots and a myriad of other choices. Would it be a nickel for a drink or five cents worth of penny candy? When drinks went up to seven cents it was just too much. I'm sure he sold all kinds of other things in that store, as it was a real old country store, but for the life of me I cannot visualize anything except the sodas and the penny candy.