Dd WA as I sit waiting for “the storm” to hit, I am thinking back. To want advertiser stories- and most of my stories pertain to my struggle to get the magazines out in the stores on days when my usual “delivery “ crew could not make it for some reason--- often snow..... most pretty funny... one solid fact-- in every town there was one “variety store” which sold the racing form (newspaper)- so when things were absolutely impossible I struggled to at least get those stores “covered”. I drove a VW bug—with a Rolls Royce nose – and Want Advertiser on the door—and the license plate I had was MD128- Plate had been His for years until somebody gave him plate number 47 and he didn't want to give up the 1:28 so I put that on my car It had the added asset situations of. A doctor's car. Several Times in good old New England cars were restricted from being on the road because of plowing whatever but I could still go out with that MD 128.. Which put me at one point in central square Cambridge.
Covering of course the 1 magazine place in the dead center of Harvard square.. But then I went on down and was going to cover the three Stores in central square I pulled into the first loading zone and came out to find a policeman make that policewoman who told me I shouldn't have parked there which was not true I was delivering stuff I swung around to the second store parking in their loading zone-and she followed me
so the third store which was at 7:11 where she wrote me a large ticket
and said” I never yet saw a doctor's wife delivering magazines” So I told her “well you now have” As I swallowed hard at the 3 tickets she had written to me.. But I followed through with that by going to court it objecting --which also forced her to be in court with me and I verified the fact that I was delivering a product—magazines it was an interesting court appearance for me I never had done that before.
Blizzard #2. ( actually new englands blizzard #24567— just story #2) I was in Salem mass and the man in the variety store told me I really should go and meet the man walking around in deep snow where they keep the pile of salt and sand he said no really you should go meet him so I did and it was a slightly older than college age -- and he was filling water bottles with snow clean snow--because he said he had put an ad on the Internet promising to send a sample to anyone who wanted one and send him the postage- so he was mailing out. Snow--- this was a long about the time I was mailing out tiny little vials ohh puppy breath for about the same reason mine was legitimately A charitable cause or donation- He smiled and said” for this I spent $100,000 on an MIT engineering degree”
Next—not a blizzard—I can not remember why--- but—“the office” Call me and asked if there was any way or if I had anyone who could get two cartoons of magazines to a store in Boston” of course I said-- it's fine no problem that I would try -- The traffic and the parking were the big issue there. So I hooked up the horse trailer and loaded my motorcycle and cartens. And parked in East Boston where I knew there is a funny place where 2 streets meat add a Y instead of a right angle and in that why there is open area where the natives often just left their car and they don't seem to to ticket them at all even though it looks like it's in the middle of the street so I left the horse trailer there got on the motorcycle and drove through the tunnel. With two cartons A1 ads on my gas tank And delivered the two boxes -- I fully expected somebody to stop me but nobody did-- and I got to meet the guy who carried gallons of coffee on his back which he wouldsyphon into anyone's cup if they hung it out the door with 1$. as they waited in line to go through the tunnel-
I met people I never would have met if I had a desk job ... And I've thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and the four cents per copy than I earned by selling want ads...
Two more favorite Stories both from Lowell MA-- late in the afternoon I was at a variety store in downtown Lowell which is where all the men came to buy their newspaper and cigarettes before they went home there was a line at the cash register and I joined it waiting to collect my $5.76 or whatever it was. I noticed the cash registered drawer hung open. And the man sitting there on a stool right next to it had obvious limitations.
Suddenly a man from behind me in line jumped out and grabbed the neck of a guy going out the door and knocked him to the floor carefully placing his foot on the guy's head and then very clearly said to him. “In this store you take the right change “ When it was my turn believe me I was careful to take the right change.
And then my favorite- a Blizzard story when I was covering Lowell and I was in the variety store on route 38 it was in the middle of an apartment complex it was full of kids because school had been called off. And the kids were very specific about which piece of candy they wanted and the man was very patient with them as I stood there in line
so when I got up to him I said “Gee you're awfully nice to these children.” And he said “why shouldn't I be maybe half of them are mine”
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