IT WAS---THAT AWFUL "CHERRY  KOOLADE"

That cold January evening,

  in the Rio Grande Valley

my pickup was parked in the

  ditch..….and there I was.  

   running 'round and 'round 

        it-- how many laps?

Was I drunk? How would 

   I know--I didn't drink.

It was during my "second 

   career” and I was "in sales" and

down in the Rio Grande Valley

  closing out a sale at Dellie's

house, amidst her fruit trees

   and gardens   and a 

half block of rent dwellings...

Let it be said---I had been there

  a lot of times and  it was 

a neat place....and she was a 

  "good old Methodist girl "

who had an old upright piano 

  in her parlor and she liked

to kinda sound-off on it a mite

         so after our biness (sic)

was done...well she showed 

  me this here closet of hern

in th' other room  and guess what?

   I bet there were a DOZEN  bottles

  and jars of the neatest 

RED  LIQUID you ever seen, 

   And ever one was nearly

half full of red cherries right 

   out of  her orchard...

      an' she says (to the weary 

            salesman--    me...)

"How 'bout a nice big glass  of

    newly-home-made CHERRY 

      KOOLADE, iced...just off  my

           trees

Well sir, being a fine Methodist 

   lady  (and I knew them well…

 I let my guard down

     I was patched  and thirsty...

and I just up and said:

     "Thanks Dellie, b’lieve I will."

Now let it be said that where 

  I come from in E. N. M. 

in WWII. times, growing up

  and  all...well our mammas 

made koolade      with WATER.

See where I'm headed?

I had two big glasses of that

  marvelous drink of Dellie's,

and how do they  say it?

    "I was feeling no pain."

I set there talking to D. and

  her husband was out on

the property as usual, 

  fixing something in a rental

or plowing his gardens...

   and I began to feel a little

          "light-headed..."

an' some alarm went off 

  in my confused head...

"Er, Dellie, you make your koolade

              WITH  WATER

                DON'T YOU?"

An' she got that nice smile

   as older sweet ladies get---

an'  she says:

    "Why no Hon, I use VODKA!

       It mixes nice and has no 

      bad smell...and raises my

     spirit. I watch for vodka sales!"

Suddenly I sort of panicked, and

 also remembered it was my 

oldest son's birthday   and I was

     "The Designated  Pizza Buyer!"

("I gotta get out of here or I'll 

    be staying the night at Dellie's!")

So there I was    running around 

  and around  in the ditch

eight miles from home…half-drunk,

   I thought    "with miles to  go before

     I slept"  and light-headed, 

      and still pizzas to buy...

 I drove home slowly     and 

 got there with several pizzas….

     But to this day, BE insists on saying

   "That night you came home 

      for A's  BD Party with two

       pizzas---what's with the 

         "DOUBLE  ANCHOVIES?"

        You know, we hate....

             "anchovies."

Since that long ago day, here on 

  the Rio    I have never had 

another glass  of cherry koolade.

It's true.

---------

MIL

29 OCTOBER  2020

IT WAS---THAT AWFUL "CHERRY  KOOLADE"