It was the summer of 1956

It was the summer of 1956 and my grandparents and my uncle were building new homes. My Dad was the foreman overlooking the subdivision. We lived on Moreland dr in Norridge Park Illinois. Right in the back of us the workman were building more new homes. One day my dad said to my sister and me, “Why don’t you sell cokes to the workman. It would be a good way of making some extra money. I’ll get you started and buy the cokes. Then you can put them in a cooler with ice and put it in your wagon and go around the where the workmen are building the homes and sell the cokes to them. I am sure they would be happy to buy them from you."

 I was 11 and Jeanne was 9 at the time. We both thought that it would be a good idea. So Dad got us the cokes and Jeanne and I pulled the wagon around. It was great and the workmen would come out of the buildings and we would sell them the cokes. It was summer and hot so the workmen were happy that we had ice cold cokes that they could buy.

 It was going great and then one day Jeanne and I were pulling the wagon down Foster Ave in Norridge Ill. When we got to the corner of Foster and Mission Dr, a car pulled up next to us. A man got out of the car and came up to Jeanne and me. “What are you selling?” the guy asked us. “We’re selling coke.” We opened the cooler to show him. “You don’t have many left. Why don’t I drive you both down to the store and I’ll buy you some more coke,” the man said. Jeanne backed away. “No,” she told the man. I felt just as scared as Jeanne at this point. “Ok, you stay here and I can drive you down to the store,” he said to me. Jeanne and I knew that this man was trying to get us in his car.

 While this man was trying to get Jeanne and I in his car all the workmen saw what was going on and came running out of the buildings toward us yelling at the man. The workmen asked what was going on. Jeanne and I told the workmen that he wanted us to get in his car and drive us down to the store so we could get more coke. The workmen were mad and I thought they were going to beat him up. The workman told him to get the hell out of here. He did and the man drove away.

 Jeanne and I were so glad that the workman saved us.  I was afraid that he was about to force me into his car. The head workman walked us back to our home. I knew Sam the workman so I wasn’t afraid of him. He told my Mom and Dad what happened. My parents were so upset that we almost got kidnapped. They told us we were not going to ever sell coke again. That was fine with me and Jeanne.

 

 William Kaufman