Catch Jim Reed’s Red Clay Diary on youtube: https://youtu.be/MbmmdGl8eJk
or read his transcript:
Life, Actually
THE ROAR OF THE DOPE FIZZ
I am way back in time again, back to the 1940s and 1950s. Back when First Things Ever happen almost every day.
If you have a minute, I have a true tale to share.
I am sitting on the concrete base that supports a gasoline pump in front of my grandfather’s general store. This is a brief break from my chores. I watch traffic whiz by on the old Birmingham highway in this village called Peterson, Alabama.
This is the only week in my life when I have the privilege of working inside the store. It is a great honor to be chosen for this job—ask my cousins.
Earlier, I snap to attention behind the main sales counter as a rough edged coal miner squeaks open the front screen door, the door that sports a bright yellow metal sign depicting Little Miss Sunbeam beaming at you as she bites into a slice of white Sunbeam Bread.
The miner looks at me and grumps, “Gimme a Dope.”
I freeze in place, afraid to admit that I have no idea what “Gimme a Dope” means. I begin to sputter, but Uncle Brandon is within earshot and saves me. He stops his installation of new shelving made from cut-up Coca Cola sign metal and saunters over to one of the soft drink coolers.
The miner and I stare at each other and glance at Uncle Brandon, who deftly fetches a Coca Cola from the box, shakes off the water, clinks the top off, using the static opener, and hands over the thick bottle. The miner accepts the drink, drops a shiny nickel into my palm, smiles “Thanks” and heads for Miss Sunbeam.
It turns out that Cokes at one time in the distant past contained legal cocaine. Once banned, the cocaine disappeared but the nickname remains.
So now, during my first break from clerking, I sit and watch the traffic, watch Uncle Brandon pump gas. And I am ready to make the day better.
Just now, I reach deep into the cooler, fish out a Grapico, and exit the store. As I sit, I glug down the fizzy grape-flavored fluid and refresh my dry gullet. Life is good.
I am already thinking about the next break, should I get one. I plan to grab a Dope, fill it with half a packet of Tom’s Toasted Peanuts, and prepare to experience that salty, liquid, crunchy carbonation that only such a mixture can provide.
And I look forward to my grandfather’s placid smile as, late in the day, he will serve me a hand-double-dipped ice cream cone that only roadside store clerks like me can properly enjoy.
As I lie abed in the guest room of my grandparents’ home that night, I think about my lessons for the day. I’ve learned what good customer service is like, what unspoken kindnesses can occur in a small town, what family, real family, feels like, how hard work can be good and satisfying.
And I learned what a Dope was and still is.
To this day, I remain a Dope fiend, taking a slug of morning caffeine from a Coke container…and occasionally, when nobody’s looking, I drop some salted peanuts into the bubbly brew and recall what life was like before it became overlayered with the weight of heavier times
© Jim Reed 2021 A.D.
Weekly Podcast: REDCLAYDIARY