When I was about sixteen, I went to work as a clerk at Chasse's Drugstore in Ashland.  The large, turn of the century building sat on the corner of Main and Oak Streets and three-quarters of the building held everything that one could possibly need, from pots and pans to clothing. This century old emporium held magical and wondrous things for old and young alike.

When you opened the heavy oak front door, an array of various and sundry aromas assaulted your nose. Intermingled with the strong, odor of rubber boots and medicines was the smell of linseed oil, which was rubbed into the wide oak planks of the floors to keep the dust down. The large room was filled to the rafters with every kind of treasure, not an inch of space was wasted. If they didn't have what you wanted on the first floor, then it usually could be found on the second floor which was used as their storage area.

There was row upon row of flannel and cotton materials for sewing along with boxes of buttons and threads all the colors of the rainbow. The large plate glass windows which looked out on Main Street were crammed with all the latest gadgets and clothing. Most of the local people shopped there because the store had a long standing credit policy and besides, it was twenty-four miles to the nearest department store in Presque Isle.

I enjoyed working for Toni Chasse and she taught me many things. She was a registered nurse by profession but she had returned to Ashland to help manage her parent's general store with her brother Rene. She'd take care of the customers who came into the department store while I was left to take care of the drug store side. If there were a customer who had a "prescription" or medical question, I'd go and get Toni to help them.

I usually didn't have all that much to do. Besides keeping the store clean and dusted I was responsible for the soda fountain area and from time to time, school kids came in for ice cream and old geezers came in for a cup of coffee. When I was first hired, Toni had walked me all around and when we got to the candy isle, she'd turned and said to me, "Toots, help yourself to all the candy you want, we really don't mind." I was amazed at my stroke of good fortune. That day I ate sixteen Reeses' Peanut Butter Cups and I was sick for two days. It was then that I understood why Toni had this rule. She knew, after years of experience, that once you'd eaten your fill and gotten sick, most kids didn't touch another piece of candy as long as they worked there. I know I didn't.

It was nineteen sixty and still an age of innocence. I really didn't know all that much about life and everything that goes with it. Things had gone smoothly for about a month and I loved my job. Then one day, a young mother, with two small children in tow, came timidly into the drugstore. She glanced nervously around and then she hesitantly approached me at the counter. "Is Miss Toni here? She asked in a soft voice with a French accent. "No," I replied. "She won't be back for at least an hour." "Oh," she said. "Perhaps I could help you." I offered. She looked doubtfully at me and in a lowered voice she said, "Douche bag." I looked at her blankly. "What did you say?" I asked. Blushing and nervous, she glanced quickly around the empty store. "I want a douche bag." She softly said again. Unsure that I'd heard her correctly, I said, "I'm sorry, did you say you wanted a dish rag?" I asked her. She looked at me with a mixture of embarrassment and surprise that I was working in a family drugstore and I didn't even know what it was she wanted. Try as I might, I just couldn't understand what it was she wanted. I didn't understand what a douche bag was and I had never heard of a dish bag either. I was more confused than she was! Finally, I asked her what a douche bag was used for and she just smiled a little and her cheeks got very pink. Just as I was about to give up, Toni arrived and when the young woman saw her, she gave a great sigh of relief and rushed over to where she was standing and the next thing I heard was a torrent of French words as the young mother told Toni of her predicament.

Soon Toni was laughing and I wondered what was so funny. After the lady had left, Toni explained my mistake and that was the beginning of my sex education. After all, one can't work in a drugstore and remain innocent forever!

The other incident that remains clear in my recollections is the time that Timmy Lawton and I became formally acquainted. Timmy, a Mongoloid child, had been born to older parents and in those days, he wasn't able to go to school like the rest of us kids. His father worked for the town and most often you could find Timmy riding around with his father in the town truck. He rode by our house on the Goding Road, day in and day out with his small, wan face pressed up against the door window. When they repaired the roads in the spring, Timmy was there and when they plowed the roads in the winter, Timmy was there. I often wondered how many miles Timmy had ridden before he died. 

When we were real little, my brothers and sisters and I used to envy Timmy when he rode by in the large, town truck. He got to go everywhere and see everything, at least that's the way we thought. We never got to go anywhere except to school and back on the bus because our father didn't own a vehicle at that time. Now that I think back on it, I'm sure that Timmy would have gladly changed places with any one of us if he'd had the chance.

I had been working at Chasse's Drugstore nearly three months when I got to know Timmy on a more intimate basis. His father came into the drugstore one day and walked up to the counter with Timmy in tow. Timmy looked at me with his big, blue eyes and his father asked me if he could speak to me. I nodded and wondered what he wanted. He moved me out of Timmy's range of hearing and said that anytime his son came into the drugstore, I was to give him anything he wanted. Toni had already told me about their financial arrangement and I told Mr. Lawton that there wouldn't be any problem as far as I was concerned either.
 
Mr. Lawton went on to say that Timmy liked to pay for his purchases by scribbling on little scraps of paper and could I just accept the paper and pretend it was money? I told him that I'd be happy to help him and Timmy. He got Timmy an ice cream and as they were leaving the store, Timmy turned and shyly smiled at me. I knew that I had made a friend.

A few days later, the front door bell of the drugstore twinkled and I turned around to see who had entered the store and there stood Timmy. He just stood there with his cap falling over his eyes, looking at me. I walked over to him and he backed away a little. "Timmy," I said. "Would you like to have some ice cream?" He grunted and nodded his head and I motioned for him to follow me to the counter. I helped him onto a stool and I asked him what kind of ice cream he wanted. He just looked at me but, he didn't reply. I showed him vanilla, strawberry and chocolate and he still didn't take his eyes off me. I finally decided for him and gave him a dish with all four flavors piled in it. He happily started eating but, he never took his eyes off my face. It seemed that everyday thereafter, rain or shine; Timmy came into the drugstore to get some ice cream.

One cold day in early September, Timmy came in as usual. I looked at his pinched little face and told him that it seemed too cold to have ice cream. But he just shook his head and I gave him his usual dish. About the same time, a bunch of high school kids came in and immediately began teasing Timmy. They said things to him like, "Say Timmy, did you ever see such a pretty girl? Perhaps you should marry her Timmy. How about asking her for a big kiss?" I became very angry with those kids and told them that if they didn't stop it, I was going to tell Toni. They left in a huff and I knew I was in for a rough time when I got to school the next day. I didn't care what those jerks thought, I wasn't going to stand by and let them pick on a kid who wasn't able to defend himself.

About a week later Toni came to me and she said that one of the kids told his parents that I had been rude to them. When I explained what had happened, she sided with me and that was that. Timmy continued to come in to eat his ice cream and to write his payment on little scraps of paper.

Just before I quit working in the drugstore, Mr. Lawton came in to pay Timmy's ice cream bill. He joked with Toni that the next girl she hired had better not be so pretty because it was keeping him broke paying for all Timmy's ice cream.