 
Tponetom
Member
Username: Tponetom
Post Number: 361
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 6:07 pm: |    |
This is an illegitmate offspring from my
‘Paging Lowell” post
Whitey the Iceman and Lurid Stories
"Whitey" was just a nickname for a nineteen year old kid who had naturel blond hair. He messed around, bleaching his hair, and wound up with ugly looking streaks of 'near' white mixed in with the blond.
At the time of those "lurid' stories, his audience was mostly my gang of urchins, aging between 12 and 15. We
didn't know 'jack' about sex and,,, nocturnal occurrences. We knew nothing about hormones or whore moans. (She didn't get paid. Old joke.)
I think that I get a little bit of my story telling inspirations, from Whitey, the Ice delivery man.
Circa: The Early Forties.
He would 'set the stage,' (long pause) and then look you in the eye, with a smile on his face, (another long,
teasing pause). His story would be short,,,and sweet,,,,,and tantalizing.
To wit: Whitey speaking:
"She was a young war bride. They were married just a few weeks before he had to report to the Marines. Their honeymoon was just long enough for her to appreciate the thrills and mysteries of married life."
Whitey continued: "When her husband was called to report for basic training, she became very lonely. She lived alone in an upper flat. I knew she had not been in Detroit very long and she had few, if any, friends.
I delivered ice to her twice a week. She was friendly. I figured that she needed a little 'warming up.! (Chuckle, chuckle, leer, leer.)
Well, as it happened, last Saturday, late in the afternoon, she was the last call on my list. While chopping off a25 pound block of ice, for her, I nicked my finger with my 'ice pick.' It was bleeding. I carried the ice up the back
stairwell to her flat She answered the door and noticed the blood on my finger. She told me to come in. I put the ice in the upper chamber of the icebox.
She looked at me with doleful, wistful, promising eyes. She took my wounded hand and said, "You need a
bandage on that finger. You have served me well these past few weeks,,,,,now I would like to service you,,,,,"
Whitey stopped his narrative at that point and looked at his pocket watch. He told us he would have to continue the story next week because he had to get his truck back to the ice house.
Whitey never finished a story. He left it to our imaginations.
A few notes:
The above story is, of course, not verbatim. I did embellish it a little.
I could not use the street language du jour, and certainly not the idioms that go with that jargon
I think Whitey got the inspirations for his stories from the movies, and short stories, and novels.
For example: Eugene O'Neill wrote an outstanding 'play' in 1939 and it played on Broadway in 1940. It
is truly, one of the classics! Go figure it out. Let me know if you do.
Whitey enlisted in the Marines and served with honor.
There was a beautiful young war bride, living in an upper flat on Pennsylvania. She was one of my
Detroit News customers. I was 13 years old, still pre-puberty.
I will never forget that girl because,,,,,,she did in fact invite me into her kitchen on a blustery , bone
chilling Friday, which was collection day, and she let me stand in front of her gas stove with the oven door open, so I could thaw out if only for a minute or two. Homes of that era did not have ‘automatic naturel gas heat. Most
of them had coal fired furnaces with a gravity flow circulation.. No blowers or fans to circulate the heated air in
the furnace plenum. The kitchen was the warmest room in the house with the gas oven burning.
Surprisingly, no one ever died from carbon monoxide fumes.
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Chuckjav
Member
Username: Chuckjav
Post Number: 1416
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 7:32 pm: | |
Tponetom.....your Username should be "AU"; you are .999 fine gold |
Eriedearie
Member
Username: Eriedearie
Post Number: 4397
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 7:33 pm: | |
The Iceman Cometh
Way to leave us with our imagination Tp! |
Kathinozarks
Member
Username: Kathinozarks
Post Number: 1834
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 7:57 pm: | |
So, what happened? Dang.......
On a side note, what would have happened to all the water from the 25 pound block of ice sitting in the top of the ice box?
I'm just thinking that it would be a pain in the bottom to have to remember to empty some kind of water reservoir every couple of hours or whatever.
Also, how long a block like that would last? |
Chuckjav
Member
Username: Chuckjav
Post Number: 1417
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 8:12 pm: | |
Kathinozarks....reminds me of the west side home that my family moved into during 1969.
In the stairwell leading to the basement - built into the wall - was a beautifully preserved wooden ice box....a masterpiece!
On the bottom was a hinged door; behind the door was a metal tray for the melt water.
PS During the early '80s, my sister sold that icebox to a second-hand store....for $75.
I know, I know....that was a horrendous mistake on her part! |
Cheddar_bob
Member
Username: Cheddar_bob
Post Number: 1611
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 8:14 pm: | |
Okay, Kathy. Done and done. Fuck. Now that everyone knows my bunny weak spot, I'm ruined. It's like kryptonite.
(Message edited by cheddar bob on January 10, 2009) |
Lowell
Moderator
Username: Lowell
Post Number: 2151
Registered: 09-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 8:38 pm: | |
Perhaps the innuendo you kids missed was "delivering her ice twice a week and putting it in the upper chamber". Say no more. I'll bet he got a good laugh about that at the bar after work. Folks didn't talk directly back then; it was nod and wink. That's why the Blues thrived back then. |
Kathinozarks
Member
Username: Kathinozarks
Post Number: 1835
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 8:50 pm: | |
Bunnies, Cheddar...soft, furry bunnies.
My question: On a side note, what would have happened to all the water from the 25 pound block of ice sitting in the top of the ice box?"
I said sitting "IN".
Cheddarbob, that was unnecessary and really a mean thing to type. Take it back. |
Frankg
Member
Username: Frankg
Post Number: 729
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 9:02 pm: | |
I think it was all a made-up story to entice other men to become icemen. Or at least to respect icemen more. |
Kathinozarks
Member
Username: Kathinozarks
Post Number: 1837
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 9:04 pm: | |
I know you're there and I'm waiting  |
Terryh
Member
Username: Terryh
Post Number: 1095
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 10:30 pm: | |
Amusing story, although I shutter at and strongly disaprove of the phrase-description 'illegitimate offspring' as it is very disrespectful toward and de-humanizing of children whose parents decided not to have a ceremony before producing a child. Marriage doesnt guarantee 'legitimacy'.
Very narrow view of reproduction that only married couples should re-produce. |
Gannon
Member
Username: Gannon
Post Number: 8971
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, January 11, 2009 - 3:56 am: | |
And totally against nature, from an NPR news article just this past week! |
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