Williams Grocery Store

One of my fondest memories of grandma's house was getting to go to Williams Grocery Store with grand-daddy!  That was a real treat.  He walked to the store every day.  I was so excited when he asked if I wanted to go with him.  Of course I did!  The Cedar Bluff Post Office was adjacent to Williams Grocery Store, so we checked the mail while we were there.

We started out up the steps and onto the road.  There wasn't much traffic then, not like we have today.  I held grand-daddy's hand real tight, and walked on the side of him that was away from the road.  It really isn't a long way to the store, but it seemed like a long journey to me.  I was a little scared, but I would never let him know or he wouldn't ask me to go again.  I had to be brave.

We got to the store and there were always lots of people there.  Everybody went to Williams Grocery Store to pick up groceries and they sold clothes and hardware, you could find anything you would ever need there.  Miss Shirley, the nice lady who worked at the counter, talked like an angel, and was so nice.  Mr. Bob, the owner of the store, was a very nice gentleman, too.  It was a very nice place to go.  Grand-daddy always got me a treat when we checked out.  That was the really fun part, a piece of candy.

First things first though.  We always stopped at the Post Office first.  The mail was the main reason for the trip, so it was the first stop.  There were lots of people getting their mail, and grand-daddy always stopped and talked a while to folks he knew.  I would get fidgety and walk around inside the Post Office, looking into all the mail boxes that were lined up in rows on the wall, checking out the posters on the wall, looking out the big front pane glass window, and wishing grand-daddy would hurry up and get to the store. 

Finally, he turned towards the door and I reached up to get his hand.  I looked up as I said "are we ready to go now grand-daddy", and I realized the man was not my grand-daddy!  I was horrified!  Where was my grand-daddy?  I started to look all around and could not see him anywhere.  I started to cry and call out his name.  The folks there came to me and, knowing who I was, took me over to the store where grand-daddy was.  I was so glad to see him, and grabbed and hugged him.  He wasn't used to having a little girl with him and, after he got through visiting, he just walked out thinking I was with him, but I was walking around and looking at everything.  Well, that was very scary. 

Grand-daddy gathered up the things he needed from the store, and I got to pick out my treat.  Grand-daddy paid and we left, me holding firmly to his hand!  He chuckled and we walked home.  I guess grand-daddy told grandma and mom what happened, but they never said anything to me about it.  I was afraid if they knew they would not let me go again.  That was our secret for ever.

I miss the kind, gruffness of my grand-daddy, the way he would play with us without actually playing the game, knowing we were having fun, and he was too!  I am sad that my son Lee never had the opportunity to know my grand-daddy.  He was a great man and my hero!

Living in grandma's house, I can just see him sitting in his chair in the living room, cigar in his fingers, listening to the radio.  Oh, how I loved my grand-daddy ~ and how he loved me, too!