Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Lucky Strike - Mrs. G




He said the lipstick stains left on her cigarette filters turned him on.
That was not long after they were married in 58’
Lynndy was 18, Al was 25 –
Lynndy was just out of high school.

Al was an insurance salesman.
“He has great potential,’ her father blurted out,
you couldn’t have found a better guy, he will provide for you,
just like I provided for you and your mother.”

During their honeymoon at Niagara falls Al made it clear,
“No wife of mine will be caught smoking an unfiltered cigarette
or caught drinking beer out of a bottle.” He looked straight into her eyes …
”My wife will have more class than that.”

Lynndy came to abide by the rules, Al’s rules,
that is until Charlie showed up at the back door -
with a ½ gallon of milk,
and a quart of orange juice
Charlie was the milkman.
Charlie also went to high school with Lynndy, he was a few grades
ahead of her, now he was - her milkman.

“Hey, Charlie! Do you happen to have a cigarette?” she asked one morning.
“Sure do,” was his answer. He pulled out a pack of Lucky Strike’s.
“Thanks,” was her reply as he gave her a light.
“You know Charlie, you know what would be good right now to go with
this smoke, a cold bottle of beer, don’t you think that would be good
right now Charlie?”
“You sure are right about that Mrs. G.”
Charlie never called a married woman by her first name,
even if he had known her for years. "Manners,
he called it, my daddy always taught me to treat a lady like the lady she is.”
“You know Mrs. G if you like I could bring you a cold beer tomorrow.”
“I would like that Charlie, see you tomorrow, thanks for the cigarette.”

That was the start of a weekday ritual for Charlie and Lynndy. Every morning
after Al pulled out of the driveway Lynndy waited by the kitchen window in
watch of the local milk truck. Charlie would offer Lynndy a Lucky Strike and a cold
bottle of Hamm’s beer. They would sit on the back porch
and talk about high school and  how the world was changing right before their eyes.
They would talk baseball andif the Cub’s were going to have a comeback year.
They would laugh. Lynndy loved to laugh. Then Charlie
 would end the conversation everyday with

“you know Mrs. G.. one day, one day I am going to strike it lucky
and have enough money to take you away from all this.
Then you and I can smoke cigarettes
and drink beer from a bottle everyday.
Wouldn't that be fine Mrs. G?"

Lynndy at that point would pick up her ½ gallon of milk
and quart of orange juice, open the back door and reply-
“sure would Charlie, see you tomorrow, right?”

“Right, Mrs. G-“

bkmackenzie
copyrighted

Posted for Alphabe-Thursday - Random Letter Week - Letter G click here for more of the Alphabet

32 comments:

  1. Kept me awake way after midnight - what a joy to read and escape. Please have a great Thursday.

    daily athens

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  2. Loved Lucky Strikes and "strike it lucky". Delightful piece!!

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  3. Thank you Gerald and Daily Athens - sorry to have kept you up past midnight..oh no not really - glad you enjoyed enough to stay up and read....thank you

    Willow - thank you so much - love nostalgia - but I am sure you already figured that out...bkm

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  4. Hamms beer? wow you're going back
    Cubs...forget about it
    and that kitchen...I had one like that
    long time ago
    This was a real treat for me to read
    though I never smoked nonfiltered ciggies
    or beer out of a bottle
    and never never had a milk man

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  5. Spent the first 9 years of my life in the Chicago suburbs, and returned after I grew up...Chicago is a unquie place...thank you for visiting Suz...bkm

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  6. Great story, really captures the 50's. My mom and so many mothers that had potential but did nothing with it. So different from now where women are so much more independent....but I still know women like your story! Plus I adore Mad Men!!!

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  7. Even at that time I would have prefered to stay single then marrying a guy who tells me what I have to do, lol !

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  8. Good stuff. You got the syntax - you got the attitude - you just got it!

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  9. Lucky Strikes!

    Ah, nostalgia isn't what it used to be!

    Great post and Happy Alphabe-Thursday,

    LOLA:)

    PS Mine this week is HERE. Hope you can join me!

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  10. Wonderful! You really brought this to life, I can see the morning light and feel a slight breeze as they sit on the porch and enjoy their little escape. You captured the time so perfectly. Such innocence, when the worst thing a woman might do is drink beer from a bottle :) Kat

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  11. I remember when we used to get milk delivered to our house. I think it was just milk.

    Thanks for stopping by.

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  12. the best way to enjoy beer is by drinking it straight out of the bottle. =) no man shall dictate on me how i drink my beer and smoke my ciggy. not ever!!! bkm, i love your creation!!! truly brilliant!!!

    http://pinklady-bing.blogspot.com/2010/07/note-to-my-child.html

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  13. This was great when the milkman came. I wonder how many milkman ran off with the people they delivered too lol. Great nostalgic post.

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  14. You have the gift of storytelling! I didn't want it to end.

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  15. Great post! As always, I love your passionately beautiful logo photo.

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  16. interesting tale, wonder what mrs g would have done if charlie has the money to take her away

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  17. Great blog, I am really impressed! I'll be back.

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  18. Would like to thank everyone personally - so please take my deepest thank yous to each one of you who took their time to read and comment...I appreciate you all....bkm

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  19. This was so evocative. Pictures with words. Genius.

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  20. Great story! I remember the milk man. But I was too young to smoke or drink a beer.

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  21. I'm ready for the next installment of this great story. I didn't want it to end.

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  22. wow great writing!!! this drips with seduction yet is so innocent, beautiful, I love it. If that is Mrs G in the pic then the milkman had to walk back to the truck slow after that beer and smoke. haha I can see my mom smoking and looking like that back in the day,(early-mid60s) she gave smoking up later. I love your blog. Great Job
    alan

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  23. The cigarettes remind me of my mother, although she never had a milk man, as far as I know. It's too bad, she probably could have used one.
    Cee

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  24. Well its a wonderful write-up. Keep blogging i just love your posts!

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  25. Wow.

    What a story.

    I could totally visualize the whole thing in my mind.

    I love her small rebellion in the effort to save her individuality.

    I love the spice and perfect seasoning this added to our Alphabet Soup!

    Thank you for linking!

    A+

    PS. Did I happen to mention... WOW ?!?

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  26. I just loved this! You rock, sister! I'm with Jenny on this one...wow......

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  27. Smoking used to look so glamorous and healthy...lol....boy where they mistaken....fun post!

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  28. You did a great job of capturing a little slice of their lives. Brilliant.

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  29. I loved the story you told here. It could easily turn into a novel or movie!!

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  30. Well now, everyone has a different notion of what class is, don't they? Some would say that class is displaying only ONE of one's Pulitzers in the main room at any given time. For others, class is not spitting on the floor. ;-)

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