GetYourGoodNews/JoeCorman

If life were a JuJu coin, think of how easy it would all be.

There was a store when I was little. It was called Ernie's. It was situated on
a corner and all of us kids visited it every day before and after school. One
cent candy to be
had by all. You name it, it was there. Juju coins, they were there. Slow
pokes. Got em. Zots. Those too. Cream soda. You bet.

The owner, I’m sure you have figured out his name by now, lived upstairs.
Such a
nice old fellow. Always smiling at us. no matter how bratty we were acting.
He’d even let us have a free item now and then.

Anyway..

My family wasn’t well off so I had a paper route. Back then it wasn’t much
at all -- a few dollars and a few dollars there. My brother, Jim and I would
walk it. He always gave me the tough houses. up steep hills, while he took
the flat land. Those hills weren’t fun for my short legs. But I did it, knowing
what my sweet little reward would be.

So, up the hills i went. my news paper bag feeling like a small car around
my shoulders, dragging me down with each step, trying in vein to make me
fall backwards. To heck with you paper bag, i’m winning this one. With
each step, the sweet, imaginary smell of my sweet treat would hover in my
memory.

I look up and the house I’m going to looks miles away, even though it’s
probably only 100 feet up the hill. When you’re short, things look further
away. now, at this point, I’m leaning forward, looking down, thinking that
this house will never appear. This is going to be no fun.

Maybe I should throw the paper from here and claim a dog chased me. I’m
a
little kid. i can get away with that excuse, right? wrong..up i go. now the
paper bag feels like ten tons -- pulling, tugging, trying its best to make me
fail.

I lift my head. there it is. the house I’m assigned. like something out of a
movie, it appeared. Finally! My stride speeds up a bit. i’m home free now.
All I have to do is toss
this paper gently in front of the door and it’s all down hill from here...up I
go...here we are...I take my folded, rubber banded paper and...

DOG!

I turn straight in to a screaming little baby.

It runs at me. I can see in it’s eyes that I’m a meal. I’m gonna die right
here, in a dogs grip. I drop the paper, and run, faster and faster until my feet
are literally spinning in cartoon style circles. My paper bag is flailing off my
body and hitting me as i run, trying not to fall, screaming for my brother.
jimmmmm!! ahhhhhhhh!! jimmmmm!! help help!

By now i’m literally full speed down hill..

Then I fall...yup, I’m a goner...I see this dog running for me..like the wild
beast it is..it’s thinking chew toy. I close my eyes and curl up in a
fetal position waiting to die..I hear it..clomp clomp..my muscles
tighten like an accordion in glue and I feel it..

The warmth of slobber. The smell of dog breath. Dog breath? Doggg Breath!

It licks my face. jumping and pawing me like I'm a toy.

I’m alive! Ohhhh good dog! Good dog! You didn’t kill me!

I live for another day. Jim was around the corner watching, and laughing.

I got my two dollars that day. It was well earned.

The next morning I awake with my money placed strategically close to me.
My sweet reward is only minutes away. I can’t wait! It’s going to be the
most wonderful feeling in the world, after almost dying the day before.
shut up. I thought I was a goner..Ernie's, here I come!

I get up, excitedly get dressed and "pretend" to brush my teeth -- you know
how little kids do that -- I throw on my michael jackson zipper covered
jacket and head out the door. hi mom bye mom! zoooooom! I’m off.

I meet mark, my best friend, on the sidewalk, he’s got his two dollars as
well. this is going to be a good morning. I can feel it.

We walk in, see Ernie, he smiles. Hi boys! What’ll it be today? Mark gets
his cream soda pop and 4 packages of zots..

Me? I get 100 JuJu coins for a dollar, and a cream soda pop as well, and I
save my quarters for galaga at the gas station after school..but that’s a
whole different story that I’ll write about soon..

I leave Ernie's with my JuJu coins in a small paper bag..i take one and
throw it in my mouth and follow that with a great gulp of cream soda pop, in
a glass bottle no less..that JuJu coin never tasted better.

I stuck with my route. took the hilly parts from my brother and ate my JuJu
coins. That’s what it’s all about sometimes.

I went through all that for the sweetest of treats.

Sometimes I wish life was a JuJu coin. Everything would be so simple.

Here’s to you, JuJu coin. You were the best little friend a young boy could
have on a busy school morning.

copyright 2009 Joe Corman / For GetYourGoodNews.Com