A Trip Back in Time
by
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Just then, Papa found them. “Come on outside! It’s Little Oscar!”
“Oh, let’s go!” Joyce squealed.
‘What the heck is a little Oscar?’ LeeAnn wondered as she followed along.
When they got outside, just parked down the block was a huge vehicle shaped like a giant hot dog in a bun! It had the Oscar Meyer logo on the side. Out of a hatch on the roof was a midget in a chef’s hat, waving at all the children! In the meantime, through a serving window at street level, they passed out free hot dogs and a little whistle shaped like an Oscar Meyer hot dog.
‘I can’t believe this!’ LeeAnn thought. “Does he just drive around all over?”
“Yeah! You never know where Little Oscar will show up. I guess we are just lucky!” Joyce exclaimed.
“That’s called ‘Little Oscar’s Wiener mobile’.” Papa laughed.
As they enjoyed their hot dogs, Papa explained. “Oscar Meyer started here in Chicago. Many other companies are from Chicago, as well. Dad’s root beer, Mars Candy Company, and many others are located here.”
“Don’t forget Fannie May Candies!” Joyce added.
“I love Vienna hot dogs.” Papa stated.
“SSHHH! Don’t let Little Oscar hear you!” Joyce warned.
“Well, these are the best you can bring home, because Vienna is only available at hot dog stands. Hey, I don’t care if that little midget hears me.”
“Ed Burk, no wonder Sister Bernice was always whacking you with her ruler. Do you just have a habit of saying what’s on your mind?” Joyce scolded.
“I guess?” Papa replied.
LeeAnn laughed, because so many times she had heard her Nana tell Papa the exact same thing. She knew Papa never minced words, and was known for being direct, candid, and concise in his communication. ‘So I guess Papa was always like that.’ She thought.
LeeAnn ate her hot dog and just absorbed all the sights. It really was like being in a theme park. Across the street was a theater with an enormous lit marquee like she had never seen before. As they talked, the electric buses breezed by and people swarmed the street going from shop to shop, gathering their wants and needs. Right in front of her was a hot dog the size of a bus, with a midget wearing a chef’s hat, waving to everyone. It all seemed surreal. She really began to understand why her Papa was so unhappy with world of 2010. Most of all, it seemed everywhere they traveled was safe, and never did they consider being threatened.
“Want to go to the 5 & 10 cent store? They have a soda fountain and I’ll treat.” Papa suggested.
‘5 & 10 cent store?’ LeeAnn wondered. ‘It must be like a dollar store?’
“Come on, Woolworth’s is just down the block.”
So the three adventurers made their way down the block to a store that had a sign that stated ‘Woolworth’s 5 & 10.’ Inside, were long isles of display tables with everything from toys to cosmetics. As LeeAnn looked around, she saw brooms and mops, cloth for making clothes, candy, and even hardware. In the rear was sandwich counter with a lit menu of sandwiches and ice cream creations. ‘Cool!’ She thought.
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About the Book
What if you could take your grandchildren on a trip back in time to 1956? This novel combines nostalgia with a grandparent’s special relationship with his grandchildren in a tale of time travel. As he clearly sees their reality, he resents the blatant deterioration of our current society. Evident is the results of inflation, moral degradation, and the destruction of family values. It is his intent that though their view of the future is dim, and having been a victim of child of abuse himself, to show them that their ten year old lives will soon change, and what they observe and experience will never control their destiny.
Imagine a grandfather taking his granddaughters on journey back in time, when he was their age and the year was 1956. Together, he shares what his life was like as he walks with them as equals in this innocent age of nickel pop and penny candy. His relationship with his granddaughters is a close one, and he mourns the loss of so many freedoms that he enjoyed when he was their age. They would nver know a parent sending them out to play and saying, “be home before dark,” or, “just stay in the neighborhood.” At ten years old, in 2011, they unfortunately are aware of what the word “predator” means, and having their television censored for foul language or sexual content. So when telling them of the Mickey Mouse Club, or Winky Dink, they laugh as if it was all fantasy and a fabrication of their Grandpa’s mind. He shares a special bond with them, because two are in a broken home shattered by divorce, and two are adopted and have formerly suffered the abuse of the foster ‘care’ system. Being a product of a broken home and abuse himself, he understands their fears and recognizes that this new generation is having their childhood and innocence destroyed by our culture. So at the critical age of ten, he lets them visit an era when children could walk freely to the park. A time before electronics dominated and interaction with friends and family was all important. A time before musical lyrics were censored, yet those 'Oldies but Goodies' were considered so threatening, as Rock and Roll was born.
He sees his little girls being thrust into a very “adult” world long before their time. Where texting has replaced direct communication, and where the games he once played in the park are now played on video. He resents this society where children must guard against dark elements that he never knew of at their age. He understands the age of “tween," where short of adolescence, they have an astute perception of adult problems that they already are beginning to worry, yet are still very much children. He is sorry for the deterioration of society that forces his granddaughters to exist in a culture of “Amber Alerts” and sex offender registries. At ten years old, they already have a dim view of relationships, being surrounded with a population where nearly 50% of children have broken homes and experience either single parent homes, or stepparents.
Having stated “when I was your age,” so many times they find it unbelievable, he gives them a glimpse of the past. When men stood and gave a woman their seat and a time when a movie could be seen for a dime. An age when soda fountains made ice cream creations and each neighborhood had one, and when phones had ‘party’ lines that were shared by multiple families, in a golden time when everything came in glass bottles and people were happy with black and white television and only three channels. It was an age when children could truly be children and purchase toys like BB guns and bows and arrows and where every boy had a pocket knife to peel an apple. A time when girls had miniature electric sewing machines, dinner sets with real knives and forks, and electric ovens. Where instead having to learn martial arts for self defense, he shows them a time when man would never lay a hand on woman, and no such situation would even be considered for viewing in television or movies. It was when comic books were affordable, and like Classics Illustrated, even educational, as a preview of great literary works.
This is story of love and relationships, with the nostalgia that comes from remembering the Good Humor man, and Mickey Mouse Club. It was a decade when most had no air conditioning and screen doors and windows were left open without a care. It was a time when we looked forward to a future that held such promise and hope. Remember when our media promoted family values? Hopefully, this will recapture some warm memories and understanding what our children are suffering today from a grandparent’s perspective.
About the Author
Edwin F. Becker is 64 years old. Born in Chicago’s inner city, he was the child of a broken home due to an abusive, alcoholic father. He spent years in a Catholic Home for abused and neglected children as a ward of the state. Besides flourishing and achieving high academic standards, he learned Latin as an altar boy. With the sudden death of his father, he became a professional musician in his mid-teens, helping to support his mother and younger brother and sister. Touring the country, he met his wife of 44 years traveling through Tulsa, Oklahoma. Giving up this lucrative and exciting profession, he attended evening college and entered the early years of the computer industry initially as a programmer technician. As technology exploded in growth, he rose through the ranks into management and eventually a Corporate Vice president for a national health-care manufacturer. After suffering a near fatal heart attack, he relocated to Missouri, where for a few years he and his wife ran an antique and collectible shop. He now enjoys the year around entertainment making Branson his home. His interests are numerous and varied, as his 64 years have allowed him to participate in everything from basketball to martial arts. His hobbies, besides writing and playing with his guitar collection, range from ballistics to bible history. His crown jewels are his two daughters and his four grandchildren. He shares the special interest of his youngest daughter [28] who fosters abused children and runs a animal rescue group. He has a son-in-law in Law Enforcement.