The air smelled of summer rain. A few dark clouds lumbered in the sky above us, as my sisters and I walked to the old country store, up the road from where we lived. It was the summer of 1957. I was the youngest of six girls in my family. One hand held onto my sister, Martha, while the other clutched the nickel my mother had given me that day for helping her in the garden. A nickel could buy a lot in Mr. Harrison's store, especially at the penny candy counter.
All of the a sudden we heard a rumble as the sky darkened above. We quickly ran to take shelter inside the store. Mr. Harrison's shop was warm and cozy, with wonderful smells of fresh baked breads and ground coffee. But it was the candy counter filled with sweet
treats that we wanted.
Not too much later the bell rang on the shop door and in walked my father. He had come to bring us home. I still can remember the fragrance of the air after that rain and just how good a piece of penny candy wrapped in a small brown paper bag can taste!
Kate Prado [Hagerstown, MD, USA] is the youngest daughter of the well known writer, the late Martin Buxbaum. Kate wrote her own book of verses in 2005 called, "Angel's Wings and Secret Things." She has been published with Chicken Soup for the Soul, H.E.R. Magazine, Today's Woman Writing Community and the Salvation Army's War Cry and the Religion Network. Her quotes, along with her father's, can be found on such sites as Quotiki.com, Poem Hunters.com, as well as layouts and photos on scrapbook.com. She lives and works in Hagerstown, Maryland, surrounded by the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. Her website can be found at www.pradospen.com.
© 2009 Kate Prado. Original for CCF. Prado grants CCF first electronic rights for one month; CCF may archive the material indefinitely and include it in an eBook anthology.
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