My Friend and Teacher


Miatown, USA 1959. I'm 13 years old. It's springtime and I'm on my way to the town drugstore. I'm running an errand for my dad, and while I'm there, I'll get a gift for my mom...and of course the usual for myself.

It's a beautiful day today on these quiet tree-lined streets. The sky is crystal clear blue, there's no wind at all, and the sun warms me just right. And as much as I'm looking forward to tonight, I sure am glad today is like this. Feels like a special day.  

As I open the door to the drugstore, it trips a spring that rings a golden bell overhead. The druggist looks up to see it's me and calls out a friendly hello from the far back of the store. As I wait for him, I look around at the wonder of this grand interior---the high ceilings of this old brick building must be 20 feet high, pipes and ductwork exposed above, as if nothing to hide. Many shelves are all along the walls, filled with everything from books to snacks to various oddball items, supplies and curiosities...survival basics aplenty. Different posters and pictures hang all over the place. Then there's my favorite thing about the drugstore. Can you guess what it is? Here's a hint. It grabs your attention as soon as you walk-in, starting with a long countertop that stretches from front to back with round pedestal-mounted stools besides. And do you know what's behind the counter? Well, anyway, I love this place! Besides having my favorite treats, it's sort of a classroom, really a museum more than anything, or at least the snack bar equivalent of one. And then there's the druggist. Here he comes now emerging from his work space, a place of secret and sacred magic I like to think. He walks over a dark and creaky hardwood floor to meet me at my favorite spot at the counter. Have you guessed yet what's across from my favorite spot? Without even asking, the druggist begins making my favorite treat.

"The usual?"  he asks.

I nod my head yes, barely containing my excitement for the day.


"Looks like you just snuck one from the cookie jar," he smiles back at me, as he reaches for a carton of Lucky Strikes and sets them on the counter. "What's that Cheshire-cat grin all about?"

"Cheshire-cat grin? Is that anything like a shit-eatin' grin?" I ask him.

"I bet you heard that one from your father," he grins himself.

"Yeah, my mother says it too."

"That's not surprising," he laughs. "So what's the shit-eatin' grin about?"

"I'm going to see my favorite movie of all-time tonight at The Paradise."

"Forbidden Planet playing again?!"

Sitting down, I put a Hershey bar with almonds alongside the cigarette carton, a small surprise for my mother, it's her favorite. Then I take a few spins on the red-seated stool before settling to a stop. I've known this guy on the other side of the counter for as long as I can remember. He feels like an old friend or more like a trusted uncle, though everyone in town calls him Doc.

"I need to ask you something Doc." Without saying a word, Doc leans over the counter and lends his ear. "Have you ever heard of marijuana?"

Doc's eyebrows raise slightly, but not as much as the corners of his mouth. "Why do ask?"

"I heard some of the older boys at school talking about it. They were saying it does stuff to you, makes you feel different...makes you feel funny...what they call high and stoned. I don't know, maybe it's not good for us, but some say it is. Anyway, you know us kids...we're curious."

"Well, I know one kid who's especially curious, that's for sure!" Doc chuckles. Then, muttering a few words to himself, Doc goes to an old cabinet in the back and pulls a book off the shelf. From a distance the book looks
vaguely familiar. Returning, Doc sits across the counter from me and opens the book near its back. He points to what looks like the title of a poem, or a lesson written in verse. It reads, "Reefer Madness."

"What's that about Doc?"

"Let's just say it's where we're going to start this discussion. But before we begin, I want to tell you something. Not everything in this world is as it appears to be."

"What do you mean by that Doc?"

"Well, ya know all those science fiction movies we like to watch."

"Yeah."

"It's a bit like that."

"You mean aliens are here, like Invasion of the Body Snatchers!?" I exclaim with great excitement.

"Sort of," Doc chuckles. "But more like that new TV program by Rod Serling...ya know, The Twilight Zone."

"Really Doc, you and I, we talk about that a lot! You know that's my favorite show! Keep talkin'!"

"Well, let me just say for now...in the movie you're going to see tonight, you remember what happens with the civilization of the Krell, their incredible almost godlike rise...and then the cause of their sad demise?

"Of course."

"Well, just keep that in mind as we talk about this marijuana stuff."

"Ok, I'm with ya. So what now Dr. Morbius?!"


"Prepare your mind for a new scale of physical scientific values young man."

"Hey, that reminds me, I've got to get ready for the movie."

"Then scram kid," Doc says in his best W.C. "Ya bother me. "

Grabbing the cigarette carton and candy bar, I hurry towards the door. As I exit the store Doc yells one more thing at me.

"Hey by the way, tell those boys who were talking about marijuana to come see me!"

"You got it! And oh, put the goods on our bill...thanks Doc!

And ding goes the golden bell.