Teen Boppin' 50's Style-- Small Town

CORNER DRUGSTORE

Skipping along the side walk was a group of five girls, chattering back and forth, turning around to talk to the girl behind her while walking backwards, another girl skipping around them to be in front. Back and forth goes the conversation. School was out and they were headed downtown after a pep squad practice. The weekend was the big game with their neighboring town, a football rivalry that had ebbed and flowed for decades. The girls had school books and notebooks, the breeze swirled through their hair of either pony tails or bobby pins held the tresses in place. Cold weather wasn’t around yet so they had on light sweaters or jackets. It was a happy carefree bunch walking the sidewalk.
The group was almost too Main Street when they cut across the street. In a small town there wasn’t much traffic. Across the street they went to the corner and around it they went to their destination. It was the drugstore and in the front door they went, giggling and laughing, it had been a fun day at school and here they were.
The counter stretched out in front of them, swivel stools along the counter, tall massive mirror behind the counter, supported by pillars to the ceiling, signs for ice cream, cherry coke or a root beer float. The girls bunched up around the end of the counter as the soda jerk walked up to them. He had graduated from high school a few years ago and stayed in town working at the drug store. He did more than work at the fountain, there were shelves to stock and floors to sweep. It was working at the fountain that kept him there. He would flirt with some of the girls and they would flirt back with him.
The girls placed their orders, went to a table and set down their books and went back to the counter to get their order. A soda or scoop of ice cream, then go sit back down at the table. Another table nearby had a group of girls sitting there already, they would nod Hi, take a few minutes to talk about something, laughs would break out. Finally everybody had their order and they were sitting around the table when another group of girls would enter and the scene would repeat.
As sodas and ice cream disappeared, books and paper appeared, there were a few groans but most of the girls had a few chores to do when they got home and they wanted to get some of their homework done plus it was to have help from some of the girls. Laughter and chatter continued, a magazine came forth. It had the latest Hollywood gossip, blue Eyes was still popular, there was a new guy by the name of Brando and dream by the name of James Dean. Suddenly there would be oohs and ahh’s, there was a blonde sitting in a chair by a soda fountain just like theirs. Quickly eyes would wander around the store to see it there was a stranger who might discover them sitting in their drugstore. It was a dream to be discovered by a Hollywood agent while sitting in the drugstore.
The dream was broken up by a hot rod flying past the store. Practice was over and some of the guys would be stopping in. Most of them had a car that dad had gotten for them, a few had taken the car souped them up and put on loud mufflers. Decorate them with spinners, something hanging from the rear view mirror, usually dice, fender skirts and white walls. They would roar past the drugstore down to the end of main, flip a U and cruise back stopping. In the fountain they would pour, hootin’ and a hollering about what they were going to do the guys at the neighboring school at the football game. Order a cola and a bag of peanuts to pour into the soda bottle. A few had girl friends, mostly it was flirting with the girls asking if they were going to the sock hop the night of the game or maybe if they would like to go to a movie at the other neighboring town. Sodas were drunk and peanuts gone, hop in the cars and go home, sister or neighbor would ride along with.