Our drug store set right on the corner and next door was the Berrington's IGA Grocery store. Flemings grocery was on the other corner. So you walked in the front door of the drug store and right inside the door was the magazine section. They do not do that anymore because some one will "grab and run", but back then all the thieves were locked up! Nothing but good people in our town.
Towards the back of the store was the pharmacy. It had a little window that if you could reach that high, you knocked on and the druggist would ask you what you wanted. He stayed behind a locked door and mixed your prescriptions when you handed him the slip. I never really seen the druggist, but I know he was there because Mother told me so.
Scattered throughout the store was things you might need like crutches. gauze, heating pads, hot water bottles, mineral oil, epsom salts and other stuff to which a 10 year old girl pays no attention. And the lady who held sway, kept order in the store, mixed the drinks at the soda fountain, and generally scared the living pee wadding out of us was a lady named Neva. Dear Neva had been born with one eye that looked upward and to the right. We were never sure if she could see out of this eye, but we were sure that we would do nothing wrong in case she could.
It used to be the greatest thing in the world to have the nickle and know we could go to the drug store. I was not alone in my thirst for knowledge held by the magazines on the rack inside the door. Back then there were a couple "rags" named Modern Romance and True Story. Now inside these pages was some hot stuff. It I was really fast, I could locate one of them and open to a paragraph and read about "married love" before Neva spotted me and asked "Are you gonna buy that?" To which I always put the book back and headed for the soda fountain.
Back in those days places were clean and friendly. I might be the only one in there and I could set for hours and dream away while twirling my straw in an empty glass. If a customer came in, though, I knew they were getting busy and it was time to leave. I wonder if that drug store is still there? I may just take a trip back down memory lane some day. It has only been 60 years, so I think it should still be there. Probably Neva does not work there any more and I bet the new druggist does not even know what a "mortar and pestle" is. Not sure I have that right my own self!
I think I will stop by the magazine rack and see if they still have those romance magazines. Pretty sure the price has gone up, but I would like to just peek inside and see what kind of "married" love is going on nowdays. Until then
Keep your powder dry!
