Something about my Alzheimer’s disease is making me think about childhood experiences. I say that because I have not given much thought to memories from my childhood until recently. Maybe Alzheimer’s is not a direct cause of my frequent trips down memory lane. It could be related to me thinking about my mortality more than I used to.
I woke up this morning thinking about eating apple pie at the S. H. Kress & Co. five-and-dime store lunch counter with my mother. The store was located on Main Street in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Looking back, these outings with Mother were formative experiences that likely influenced what I became as an adult.
Apparently, I hated going shopping with my mother. I suspect my negative feelings about shopping resulted in frequent tantrums. Being a smart woman, Mother figured out that she could bribe me with apple pie at the S. H. Kress lunch counter. Sometimes we would go eat apple pie before shopping, and sometimes I would only get apple pie if I behaved myself while she shopped. If I behaved perfectly while shopping, she would give me ice cream with the apple pie. I don’t believe that happened very often, though.
The apple pie bribery occurred in the early 1960s. The lunch counter was strictly segregated, enforcing an all-white policy for seated service. I was too young to understand why there were only white people at the counter. Most likely, I was focused on the apple pie and nothing else.
I remember sitting on a stool at the counter. If I think really hard, I can taste the apple pie and ice cream. My Alzheimer’s brain struggles to go back that far, though.
Mother’s bribery scheme taught me a few lessons about life:
The nuances of bribery
Kindness (the waitress would give me a big scoop of ice cream without telling Mother)
The joy of shopping (I learned to love shopping)
That good behavior and following rules are rewarding
That warm apple pie and vanilla ice cream are my favorite foods
Most importantly, I grew up loving my mother more than words can express. We certainly had disagreements over the years. All in all, we had a very positive relationship. She once told me that she loved taking me to eat apple pie. I guess what started as a bribery scheme evolved into a fun mother-and-son outing.
About six months before Mother died, I took her to the Spartanburg Christmas parade. She was in a wheelchair, and her ability to talk was limited. Regardless, we had so much fun.
Thanks for the apple pie, Mother.
If you missed my Wednesday post, please take a moment to read about our plan to become financially self-sufficient. Reposting and sharing our plan will help us tremendously. It takes a village to fight Alzheimer’s disease.
Thank you.
Greg