I am afraid that I was too much of a gentleman to successfully debauch. Instead, I got a couple of futile crushes on girls from the Midwest, one who was a little too young for me, the other a little too old, and neither of whom stayed around long enough for me to move beyond friendship. I did drink to much, though. I found that I was drinking too much my first semester in college, and have been close to a teetotaller ever since, saving it for special occasions.
I worked three different places in Ocean City. First, there was Bernie's Super Discount, a beach wares place. Bernie liked me, and even gave me a raise, but he was a rude man who chased off kids asking for change. One day, his wife heard me tell a couple of kids not to bother asking for change because my boss was an SOB, and the next thing you know, I was fired.
Then I worked a games joint on the Boardwalk. "One dime, one time, now a dime won't break you, but it just might make you a big, big winner, so don't walk by, give it a try". In that case, one of the girls I mentioned was leaving. I got drunk, and stupidly tried to steal a prize, which I had been told went wholesale for less than a dollar, a stuffed animal, not even large, for her. An inept criminal, I again got fired.
Finally, I worked at Griffin's Seafood Market, manning the fish counter, selling fruit, and hauling beer from the truck to the freezer, or the freezer to the front of the store. I helped to steam huge pots of crabs, and came in handy when people from Quebec came in, since I knew some French. I didn't get fired....... |
