MERIDIAN —    Scratching off is not for memaw's, and I ask – why not? I mean memaw’s buy their own tires, don’t they?

    You remember those days during your teen years, don’t you? Behind the wheel of daddy’s big Buick, and, well … there was that urge to “put the pedal to the metal.” Not that I ever did, mind you. Uh-huh. I mean my friends and I didn’t even consider tires, or the cost of anything. Daddy provided. Yes, that was a long time ago.

    It would go something like this. Saturday afternoon –

    “Hmm, Daddy, I need to go to the library.”

    The library was then located where the Meridian Museum of Art is today.

    “What for?” daddy asked.

    “I have this big report due. Can I take the car?”

    Long pause … “Okay, but be back by Five.”

    “Thank you, Daddy.”

    Then I would run to the kitchen and dial the phone. “Jimmy Faye, I have the car and will pick you up in 15 minutes.”

    Now I really did need to go to the library, really. Jimmy Faye and I would make the library stop first. Do a tiny bit of work – then we were off! Free as birds – lickidity-split to 8th Street. We would circle Brookshire’s Ice Cream looking for friends. It was located where McDonald’s on Eighth Street is today. Usually we found a few buddies there and we would (about four of us) share a Cupid’s Delight. OMG! Yummy, yummy, yummy – it was like a banana split with extra EVERYTHING in a large glass container. I can still taste it today as I write these words.

    Next, we pooled our quarters and bought gas – yes, it was a long time ago. We wanted to make a turn around The Spot and Frank’s Drive In. We called it The Loop. That’s where the older kids hung out and maybe a few guys from the Navy Base as well. Our parents didn’t want us going there. Brookshire’s Ice Cream was okay, but those drive-ins were not suitable, per our families, for 15 year old girls. But being 15 year old girls, we just had to at least drive The Loop before going home. That’s when scratching off came in handy (only once or twice that I remember). You see if we couldn’t stop, at least we could make an attention-grabbing-noise while driving by.

    By this time, Jimmy Faye had checked her watch and we had about one hour before “pumpkin time.” We turned south toward Tom Bailey Drive (now Interstate 20/59) and drove to The Lamp Post where we shared an order of fries with lots of ketchup. We had brought along two of our girl friends, Sharon and Cecilia, whom we picked up at Brookshire’s Ice Cream. There were four little hands sharing one order of fries, but everyone had their fill as we discussed in detail who we had seen, who we had not seen, who we hoped to see, and who we did NOT want to see --  during our Saturday afternoon adventure in daddy’s big Buick.

    Then it was time to drop off our friends at Brookshire’s where they left their momma’s or daddy’s car – whatever was their mode of transportation on that Saturday, and I would take Jimmy Faye home before parking daddy’s car in our carport. That’s when I would promise the Buick an exciting excursion again soon.

    “Hi, Daddy. I’m home.”

     “Did you get the report done?”

    “Yes, sir.”

    There would be a next time, and a next time, and next – yes, throughout my teen years there were many adventures when daddy allowed me to drive his Buick. Other Saturday afternoon romps would include stops at The Dixie Bowl Lane – not to bowl, of course, but just to see who was there. We might even stop at Wilson’s Skating Rink, and, sometimes, we would actually skate. Then off to Highland Park for a snowball, Wall’s Drugs for candy and gum, New’s Restaurant to share fries, and Cooper’s Ice Cream for the best cone of hand dipped ice cream in town. On other Saturdays, we visited downtown – Tutor’s Drugs, Kress and Newberry’s, Marks Rothenberg, Mangell’s, Sears and J. C. Penney. Sometimes we would catch a movie at The Temple or Royal Theater.  It was during this time at the Royal Theater that I was first introduced to Scarlett O’Hara and the epic movie, Gone With the Wind. Scarlett and Rhett have remained my close literary friends since I was 15 years old. For special occasions such as before or after football games, we dined at The Triangle for their amazing Chic-Steak plate, Davis Grill for the veal cutlet plate, and, of course, Weidmann’s for Black-Bottom pie.

    Now to the scratching off, I must quickly mention that it happened just a few times during those years. However, even today when I drive my SUV I sometimes have the urge. I think we all deserve to scratch off occasionally. You know get it out of our system, but, then, I am the one buying tires, and my husband does frown upon it.

     Some would say that scratching off is not for memaw's. I say – Why not?