THE 10 CENT STORE

Sunday, August 12, 2007

The sweet agony of indecision—I felt it every time I went into the Kress store. My mother would give me a few pennies—usually a nickel or a dime. I would rush to the back of the store where the toy bins were. I would stand on my tip toes and stare into the small bins separating the toys. The Kress store had one long counter with small dividers in it. I went up and down both sides of the counter, looking longingly.

You have heard the old expression, “Like a kid with a penny in a candy store.” I was a kid with a few pennies in front of a toy counter. Oh, I loved to go to the candy counter too, but my mother usually stood along side of me there and she bought what we wanted. It was usually those orange candy slices with sugar on them or chocolate peanut clusters. Sometimes, we skipped the candy and went for the hot, roasted Spanish peanuts going around and around beside the mixed nuts. I loved to just stand in front of the counter and watch as they went around and around under the hot lights.

The good old days? I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. But the 10 Cent Store will always occupy a warm place in my memory. Ah, the sweet agony of indecision!