This is my brother Gilbert and his wife Rita in their little store in Omaha, Arkansas. Their's is a small town, very small pouplation 134 town, convience store, gas station, tire shop. In the small town tradtion, Gilbert makes many road trips, 10, 15 even 20 miles, out into the countryside to change a flat tires for his customers and they do much business on credit. Not credit card credit like the big stores, but personal credit where purchases are tallied on a running bill and the customer comes in on payday with his paycheck. Rita cashes the pay check, keeping what the customer has run up on his 'tab' and gives the remainder to the customer.
This week, Gilbert was visited by the local policeman. Earlier in the day, he had answered the phone at the store to a very angry woman. It took a while to get the gist of her story. It seems she lives out on Sand Flat Road over by Alpena, 20 miles or so from Omaha, but, somehow, the source of her water is the same as the town of Omaha and she was having water problems. Seems a large construction company was daily drawing down the water, leaving her with limited water pressure. She was going to call the EPA and the Police to get a boil order started. Gilbert told her several times, he could not help her and she needed to call Omaha City Hall, which is next door to his store. She said she had tried that and no one answered the phone there. She called someone else and they gave her Gilbert's number. After going round in circles several minutes, with three customes waiting to cash their pay checks and pay their bills, Gilbert told her he did not care and hung up.
The Police came to visit Gilbert. They said the Sand Flat lady said he was rude and they asked if he was rude. Yes, he said, he was rude and he did not care. They said he could not do that, but he said, 'yes I can and I don't care.'
Only in Arkansas do you get a visit by the home town police because you were rude to someone who called you because you happened to be next door to city hall. But, Gilbert is true to his raising. He did not care!
8 comments:
good for gilbert.
I may see if I can get my gas on credit. I wonder if I will have any left after I get home?
don't tell the other brothers but i think gilbert is the most handsome.
Welllll, Gilbert is the only brother that is not realllly old. But, then, baby brother will be 45 Thursday, this week.
Remember the day he was born, we were digging the potatoes and Momma came out into the backyard waving for us to come to the house.
We named him Robert Melton...Daddy changed it to Gilbert Melton naming him for himself. He wanted to keep him close to him...the son of his old age. He was 45 when Gilbert was born and turned 46 less than 2 weeks later.
I thought Grandma Powell got to name him and chose the name Gilbert Melton. I think Mom and Dad agreed to let Grandma name him and Dad went to tell Grandma after the birth and she named him....Who is confused here does any old sisters remember.
Weeelll, I remember us all arguing about what to name the boy. I think Daddy told us girls we could name him, but not sure. Then we could not agree on a name so he said something about naming him his self or something. We quickly agreed to name him Bobby Joe. Daddy went to the hospotial and came home with Gilbert Melton. I don't think Daddy liked nickname like names, Bobby Joe? Not a real name.
Daddy was smart. i am glad he did not name him Bobby Joe. I remember him telling us we could name him and I bet he was just playing with us.
Post a Comment