Growing Up
When we were kids we were never fat like so many kids are today. Until middle school we walked everywhere we went if my dad was working since he was the only one that drove (not that we really went anyplace due to lack of money but that’s another story.) I can remember walking to the Woodhaven Mall when I was a toddler and we lived at my grandparents. That was only a few blocks though.
After that we moved to an apartment that was across the street from a former Acme. for a few years and we had to hold each other’s hands and my mom’s when we crossed Bristol Pike.
Just before my youngest brother was born we moved to a house my parents rented. That was about a mile from that Acme and sure enough we had to walk to the store and carry bags home. That was nice then since it was all neighborhood streets so we rarely went on Bristol Pike. We were never given a choice of whether we wanted to help carry the food.
After that property was sold we rented a house in Andalusia. That was a bit further from the local Acme but we still had to walk. I can remember begging for a soda in the summer heat when we walked past the Colonial Deli. We rarely got one but my mom got lottery tickets. If we did get a soda it was for all of us to share.
Once my mom did get her license she would always pick up or at least offer to pick up someone she knew if she saw them walking.