3/07/2010

Willimsburg Part 7

When I think back I'm reminded that I was a child
during the horse and wagon day's in Brooklyn NY.
The milkman,the fruit and vegetableman,the iceman
worked with a horse and wagon.
I remember the stable where a man named Joe the
Stableman would shoe the horse's.I would watch and
would always think that the nails were hurting the
horse.He always assured me it wasn't before he told
me to leave.
One day the local boys were getting fruit boxes
and when I asked them what they were doing they told
me they were making shine boxes to shine shoe's for money.
I went tothe fruit store and the man gave me a box when
I asked for it.I took it to the block and got a hammer
and some nails and made a very primitive shine box.
My father had shine shoes wax,brushes and rags in the
house and I filled the box and went hunting for customer's.
I must have been about six years old.
When I sat down on by the bath house on Broadway two
fellows about twenty years old asked me for a shine.
The one fellow threatened me about the shine.He didn't
want me to get any polish on his white sox.
I proceeded very carefully to make sure no polish was
being placed on his sox.Afterward,when I was finished I
told him the shoe shine was ten cent's.He began yelling
at me and lied stating I had put polish on his white sox.
He refused to pay me and began swearing at me.
In the box was liquid black shoe cleaner.I walked about
ten feet away and lobbed the bottle of black cleaner in
front of him.He was then covered all over with the splatter
from the bottle.I proceeded to run as fast as I could with my
box in tow.He never did catch me but I would believe he
would respect shoe shine boy's lot's better afterward.
I'm pretty sure the guy grew up to be a cheap crook who
picked on defenseless people.

1 comment:

melissaK said...

i absolutely looove this blog! this is a funny story! sigh* how i wish i couldve axperienced life back then!