Sunday, August 1, 2010

NOT SO HAPPY NEW YEAR

New Year's Eve Day we were exceptionally busy. Dad had extra orders and each customer was so grateful that they insisted on giving him a sip of this or that, plus he hadn't stopped to eat. Since it was New Year's Eve everyone offered him a drink.
Dad was arrested as he backed out of the Pike Place Market loading zone.

Barbara & I had to go to the jail and pick him up. It was humiliating for all concerned. The staff at the station treated us as if we had done something wrong.

The man who shared a cell with Dad was an African American named Mitchell Raspberry. Of course Dad had funny stories to tell about his experience.
Apparently he & Mitchell became tank buddies in spite of Dad's politically incorrect way of speaking. I don't remember the story but I remember he told it with a southern drawl.
Dad did that a lot and seemed to get away with it. His black customers got a kick out of his comedic ability and knew that he meant no disrespect.

When he appeared in court his drivers license was suspended for a year. This was a hardship for the family. Our older brother Corky was in the Coast Guard at the time, so Barbara and I had to make the deliveries to the taverns on Pike Street (skid row). The owners were very nice and kept an eye out for undesirables.

We had no incidents during that year, but were happy when it was over.

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