There are some things that you don’t forget – you should have a little patience. Some people will go to a restaurant, not noticing how busy a waitress is in serving the customers. Sometimes, people get mad because the service is a little slow. You know when you go to a restaurant to eat, you should relax, take a drink, talk with people; don’t be in a hurry – your food will digest better.
I’ll never forget the temper my daddy had when things didn’t go right. One day my mother was serving him spaghetti. She put it in a plate and was a little late in bringing the gravy to put on the spaghetti. My daddy was so mad he threw the plate of spaghetti to the ceiling. It stuck up there for a while. In the meantime, my mother brought the gravy to put on the spaghetti, but the plate was empty. All of a sudden, the spaghetti on the ceiling started to fall right on top of my daddy’s head. My mother said: “I ought to put this gravy on the spaghetti on your head.” He went to laughing; my mother started laughing; and the whole family started laughing. So, you see, keep your “cool.” Everything will turn out for the best.
****
I had a phone call from Lena Adams who left Berwick about 65 years ago. She lives in Metairie. I don’t know how she got The Daily Review, but she told me how she enjoyed my column so much – writing about old Berwick. She said she cried while reading the column as it brought back so many memories of her young life in Berwick.
****
I was told that Mert Francis makes the best homemade bread – I sure wish I had a loaf. The last time I ate homemade bread was at Rosemary Lodrigue’s home. She would bake about 75 loaves and invite her family and my wife and I. She also would serve hot coffee. When I left she would always give me some bread to take home. Thanks a million, Rosemary.
****
I had a nice conversation with Tee Aloisio from Patterson. She called me to tell me how much she enjoyed my articles every week in The Review. She said that I brought back a lot of memories. She stays at home these days in a wheelchair where she can be comfortable. She also enlightens me on a lot of happenings in our area. Tee Aloisio was on the Police Jury for a number of years. She says that she misses the old Police Jurors like Joe Rizzo, Charles Bowman, Louis Mahfouz and Shine Fouquier. Hang in there, Tee – we all love you!
****
Remember Paul Citrano and Eddie Miller who were related to each other? They were brothers-in-law. Every Christmas for almost 30 years they would send the same old necktie back and fourth to each other.
****
Remember Tom Wallace, the caretaker in the Berwick cemetery? I’ll never forget the time when it had been raining for days and it was still raining at the time of a funeral. The ground was so soggy with the constant rain water. In those days, the casket was placed in a wooden box and then it was sealed. At the time for burial of the deceased at this funeral, the six-foot grave was full of water. When they put the box, with the coffin in the grave, it floated. Tom Wallace couldn’t make the box go down, so he got his brace and bit and bore a hole in the box. Then “plooch” the box went down to the bottom. When I saw
this, I bought myself a spot in the mausoleum. I surely did not want to die and then get drowned, too.
* The End *