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
