Friday, September 24, 2010

The Bootlegger

I grew up in Oklahoma and when I was growing up Oklahoma was a "dry" state, meaning the sale and consumption of alcohol was prohibited by law. Nevertheless, my parents were nightly cocktail drinkers, which necessitated one of the more scary memories from my childhood, The Bootlegger.

He came from Missouri on some regular schedule always on a Thursday night. He was a big, fat man and I remember him huffing and puffing as he carried the cases of Jim Beam and Gilbey's Gin up our front steps.  I was scared to death of him.




                                                          
He then went to the houses of  a few of our neighbors, delivering similar booty. After he left, my parents and their good friends from two houses down mixed and matched from their supply and were set until the next visit from The Bootlegger.


The Bootlegger drove a blue 1953 Pontiac, with the back seat and trunk filled with his wares. To this day his scary demeanor and his huffing and puffing come back to me when I see a car like that.


I'm not sure why I was so afraid of The Bootlegger or why I still have such vivid memories of him. It may be because even as a pretty young child I had a sense that there was something illicit about what he and my parents were doing. By the time I was a young teenager Oklahoma legalized the sale of alcohol and The Bootlegger disappeared from my life, except when I see one of those cars.

21 comments:

  1. This is a good example of the not so good memories we take with us in life..They shape us and impact us greatly. As parents and grand-parents we need to pay attention to our little ones; what they absorb is often times so much more different and painful than what we think a situation is.
    I lost my father at the age of ten, and not much attention was paid to me. They all thought I was doing "well", but not so..
    Bless you, Jeanie.
    Sending you my love.

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  2. that is a cool story, he sounds scary.

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  3. Hi there, I have found in my own life and the lives of others that children are very perseptive when it comes to people and you probably had good reason to be scared of him. I'm thankful he just dealt with your parents and that you were never alone with him. It is a good lesson that we do need to watch our kids/grandkids for how they perceive strangers.
    Our Aspens haven't changed yet either but I'm afraid by the time I get up to Estes in two weeks they colors will be dull or if it is windy the leaves might be gone.
    Have a good weekend.

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  4. Strange how memories are triggered.

    My uncle's best friend in SC had a still. We got good old moon shine in mason jars from him. One whiff and you were drunk. A sip and you were blind.

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  5. ....'cause he scared the bejebbers outa ya!!! Yep, these old Ozark Mountains were filled with stills owned by bootleggers. Now their filled with meth labs. Just sayin.........

    God bless and have a terrific weekend sweetie!!!

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  6. It has taken me a very long time, but I now listen to those little voices, or feelings, that I get around people or situations that just aren't right. Thanks for sharing your story.

    My H's great uncle was involved in bootlegging a long time ago. The FBI stepped in and diminished that business tremendously!

    Great post!

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  7. so very interesting Jeanie why he had such a negative effect on you. You would think in the "safety" of your house surrounded by your parents you wouldn't have had these feelings. He did find a way to make a living though, didn't he?

    betty

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  8. Wow - amazing to think that you can remember a bootlegger!

    Once, about 10 years ago, when we were househunting, we were shown a house. Up in the attic there was a whole distillery for making moonshine! (YOu would have thought they would have hidden it while they were showing the house as it's illegal...)

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  9. That was really interesting. I didn't know that about Oklahoma. Thanks for sharing that bit of history.

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  10. I love hearing peoples childhood stories....

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  11. That's really interesting and probably was very scary for a little kid. Kids are more perceptive to what's going on than we realize. I love the story and if I were you I wouldn't go to any classic car shows! I'm just sayin...

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  12. Interesting isn't it that so many people just could not or would not go without their alcohol which made a market for the bootleggers. Also interesting is how a car makes a memory flash.

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  13. He sounds a little creepy to me, too. Good thing those cars are pretty scarce these days.

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  14. I can't imagine a 'dry' area anywhere! I hope you outgrow your fear of those cars!

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  15. I grew up in Dallas, when half the city was "wet," the other "dry." It took me years to realize why we always went to the Mexican restaurant on the other side of town. Dad could get a Coors there. Duh!

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  16. My mom lived in Durant OK, I'm not sure when, but I could find out.

    Bootlegger is such a fun word though, but puffing fat guys are not fun.

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  17. how funny (o:
    ewe lived in a small town with a 'Beer Joint' that was popular far and near. They were said to have a strip tease every now and then...cars parked clear down our country road. I am pretty sure it was not legal either. Well i knew it was a big taboo. My mother was a widow and alone with us kids..so she always kept the baseball bat by the door at these times (o: 5 foot 2 inches and 90 pounds of dynamite...she would not have hesitated to knock their block off.

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  18. I think this would make a great short film. Even the title, "The Bootlegger" is perfect.

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  19. I suspect that if alcohol had not been legalized, as a teenager, you have become much more comfortable seeing that blue car :)

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  20. This was so much fun to read. I don't think I've ever seen a bootlegger. We just had the candy man. Betty was right. I've loved visiting you.

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