Skip to main content

It was just a joke

 

What I’m getting ready to tell you happened to me! Really! It’s a strange little story, but true!

During the years of 1958-1962, I served in the United States Air Force. I was stationed in New Jersey and my parents lived in Louisiana. Somewhere around 1959, I got 2-weeks leave to go home and visit my family. I caught a train (people actually traveled by train back then) connected with a Trailways bus (also viable transportation back then that didn’t cost much) and was making my way home. I smoked Marlboro cigarettes at the time, a lot of us young servicemen did back then. It made us feel like cool adults…at 19 appearing cool and grown-up was pretty important!

Somewhere along the way, while on the train, I needed a “smoke.” Smoking while in the passenger cars was not permitted. Trains back then had “smoking-allowed” cars towards the back of the train. Standing between the cars was another option if you wanted to light up a cigarette. Doing so was a bit scary though – it was real, noisy and the cars rocked back and forth a lot under your feet! The doors between cars usually had a window that was the top half of the heavy-steel door, and it would be swung open and latched to stay open. It was loud, windy and a little scary to stand in between the train cars, but you could smoke there if you wanted to.

At this time, between the cars, I had braced myself against the door with the opened window, dragging on my newly improved, filtered Marlboro cigarette, when a young sailor, also in his service uniform, joined me in this hazardous, smoking-allowed, crazy place. We said hello and discussed where we were based and where we were headed. The young sailor was without smokes so he asked if I had one. I told him sure and pumped up one from my pack and he took it. “I don’t have a light either.” He revealed. I got my shiny metal Ronson lighter out of my pocket and offered it to him. He flipped it open and struck up the ever-reliable flame lighting his smoke. Then he did something I’ll never forget or have any explanation for! He closed the lighter’s lid and tossed it out the open window, just as we were crossing a big steel bridge over the mighty Mississippi! I don’t remember which state we were in. But, WHAT? Why did this sailor punk throw MY shiny, Ronson-lighter out the window of this jostling, screaming, fast train? I will never know! Really weird!

Stunned and not knowing if I should throw him out the window too or just accept this weird moment in my life. I did ask him why he did it. He just said, “It was just a joke man, can’t you take a joke?”

Oh well, life has its moments, doesn’t it? I have learned over the years, some of these moments, we just let them go, and find something about them we can laugh about. We'll have something odd to tell our family and friends about. I am telling you now.

By the way, I quit smoking not long after that!

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Texas' Big Bend Country

  How can I describe this snapshot of our Texas-Mexico border, taken on a trip we made to our Texas Big Bend country, other than spectacular ! We were driving Texas' state road 170 heading to Presidio from Terlingua. We were a little spooked since we were the only vehicle on the road. Along this section of the road, we didn't pass any other cars or trucks. I must say, this desolate part of Texas is just as rugged as it is beautiful! Every curvy turn of this lonely highway presented yet another picture postcard panorama. It would be hard to believe anyone would risk their life crossing such treacherous terrain, but I imagine some have, at one time or another. In the summer, temperatures go well into the hundreds and the dangers of heat exhaustion and death are very real! Diamond-back rattle snakes and scorpions happily make this desert their home -- we never saw any though. We held our breath while traveling on this deserted, stretch of road, not wanting to think of having any ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Once We are Retired

Most of our adult lives our commitments consume our time. We don't dislike having to be busy and responsible for others. It's what we do! As we age our obligations and priorities change - that's not always a bad thing! If we live long enough it happens! Once retired, our retirement frees up our personal time, so we can pretty much can do whatever we want. If we have a choice, we can fritter our time away doing nothing , or we can do something !  My interests are all over the place -- seldom am I ever bored. Cartooning, creating caricatures for tourists at popular resorts here in the states and abroad, in the past, and music appreciation, church involvement, sailing, photography, creative writing, cooking and flying my drones, as well as, fooling around with my tractor on our property have been my occupation since retiring in my late fifties. In the days and weeks to come, I want to slow down on my writing to spend more of my time editing and producing my videos for my YouT...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sleeping with a Fan -- or Not

I'm not a fan of sleeping with a fan -- especially, all night long! My wife is, and that's all I'm going to say about that! Best I don't go there, so I am changing the subject! What about dreams? What are they? Why do we have them? Are dreams real? Let's see, here's what I can report about dreams. "In your dreams!" Now, that's funny! When we dream, we get to act out what we probably wouldn't do in reality. That ca n be fun! In the 19th century, Sigmund Freud pioneered the study of dreams. However, in spite of all the advanced research done with science, through the years, and since then, we still don't know everything about dreams or why we have them.  Here's what I have discovered in my research on the subject of dreams : Typically, we spend about two hours each night dreaming. Our dreams can last anywhere from 5-20 minutes each. Sometimes, it seems, I dream all night long. Other times, I may not dream at all. I don't always rememb...
Post a Comment
Read more