I must tell you, readers, that I really do enjoy writing my life's experiences.
Thank you for being patient with me for sometimes the mind is a bit foggy at this age ... but nonetheless I am appreciative and especially so when someone greets me in the store _ or even phones me _ to express their interest. They too usually have a tale to tell.
"Hi there, Elaine" came a greeting _ the voice sounded familiar.
What a surprise to see Jack and his wife and to renew friendships from long ago. They also are in our same age bracket and with an astounding tale to tell from years gone by. It was so interesting that I must relate this one.
Close your eyes and go back _ way back to the late 1940s, when life seemed easier.
Jack (our storyteller) was just a kid, growing up in mid-Manhattan, skyscrapers and all. He and his family lived not too far from the East River where the huge ocean-going barges docked. Guess you could call him a "city kid" and he still had his lovable "city twang" as he continued telling us one of his favorite boyhood adventures.
It was an extremely hot and muggy summer, as all summers seem to be around the city, and Jack's thoughtful dad always wanted the best for his boys. To get relief from the heat would call for an enjoyable time at the community pool. Admission and a treat would be 25 cents, so each child was given the quarter to do exactly that.
A quarter, "back when," was a large amount to any youngster, and so was it greediness or just having a frugal spirit that gave Jackie an inspiring idea? The more he pondered, the more the thought became fertile and the deed was put into action. He would keep the money rather than spend it at the pool. Instead of swimming in the pool, as his father wanted him to do, he reasoned that he would still go swimming, all right, but in the East River _ and he'd pocket the money.
He convinced his friends and brother to accompany him and thus save money to spend on more goodies and just those "boy things." He was a good salesman at an early age, for all eight hurried toward the river.
It was different, back when, and you could even say that the river was "swimmable," but a problem existed: How could they explain to their mother where the oil and dirt stains that would certainly be on their swimming trunks had come from?
Jackie was a quick thinker too. He had the remedy: Take them off!
Boys will be boys. Can't you envision happy-go-lucky boys frolicking, splashing and having a grand old time: jumping off the docks, cannon-balling on top of each other into the murky river water, each one trying to out-do the other, and all in the "all-together"?
Jackie had the "daredevil" in him, for up he scrambled to jump off one of the gigantic barges. That's when it happened.
All eyes were on Jackie. He was ready to spring into air when he caught sight of a man. A man with a camera!
If he were a gal, he would have most likely screamed and hidden himself with embarassment, but not this kid.
Into the air he sprang in his most daring "show-off" performance _ stark naked!
The next day: The family was all together at the breakfast table. Dad was perusing his popular tabloid as usual when he asked, "You boys enjoy your swim yesterday?"
"You bet," they answered in unison. (Which was true.)
Upon turning the page, Dad's face became ashen as he gasped. There in a large black-and-white photo was his son, Jackie, springing into the air, naked as a jaybird, ready to splash into the waiting water as his cohorts were bobbing close by. A caption in bold print read: "Beating the heat in the East River."
"Yes, there were repercussions, but, oh, what fun we had, when we were young," Jack said.
That was a terrific story and one not easily topped.
Just imagine: That particular youngster actually grew up to be one of the city's finest traffic patrolmen who was usually stationed in Times Square! (Still a real daredevil!)
Elaine W. Kniskern is a 75-year-old resident of Schenevus and a grandmother of five.
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