I made an amazing discover the weekend. I rediscovered Willy Wonka Bottle Caps. One of the very best candies ever. Because they are a candy...that tastes like SODA!
I have not had these since I was in 6th grade. Delivering papers after school in Indianola, Iowa.
Every Wednesday and Friday afternoon, me and my buddies would bust out of school, jump on our hopped-up Schwinn or Huffy bikes, with baskets on the side and ride over to the newspaper office.
"They're not ready yet," was the best thing to hear from the guy who brought them up the big metal elevator from the printing presses in the basement. That meant we had a few minutes to run across the street to the corner store.
On one side of the store was a candy display and tall soda counter. The wooden slatted floor creaked with every step and the heavy wooden door with bang shut behind us as we bounded into the store. All of us paper boys would hop up on the round stools and start spinning round and round until the lady with the apron would fuss at us. We would then order a"green river" or a cherry coke. Sometimes with an order of the crinkly fries in the little red and white paper tray if we had enough money.
Otherwise we would sit and wait until the man who brought the papers up would open up the front door and holler, "papers are up."
And then we would get the last of our drinks and run to the candy counter for something to eat on our routes. I would choose Boston Baked Beans candy (which now that I think of it, is a pretty disgusting kind of candy) or my favorite Willy Wonka Bottle Caps.
I could make a bag of those last for my whole paper route.
And now that I found them again, I think I may go get an afternoon paper route.
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