Prisoner of the Truck
Chapter 1 : My Boyhood Prison (Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Order)
In warm weather, when the back section was uncovered, unlike many hucksters, my father spent a considerable amount of time arranging his truck for the best presentation of his fruits and vegetables that were freshly purchased. By using empty orange crates and boxes of different sizes for support, he would create an attractive, colorful and angled display of his produce that faced the homemaker when he brought them from their front doors to the curb site in front of their homes.
When the truck was enclosed in the winter, many of the customers put on their winter clothing and entered the back of the truck. An aisle was left in the middle of the truck. In a cramped setting, customers could select their fruits and vegetables on either side of the aisle. Year round, a scale hung from the truck’s interior.
My father’s customers were primarily of German, Scottish and Irish heritage. They liked the quality of produce presented to them. More than that they liked him. They were willing to pay a higher price for the quality and his personal door-to-door service.
Year round, most of the hucksters worked alone. A few had adult helpers that assisted them in the summer months. If a huckster worked alone, he would either deliver the produce to his own stall or have the farmer’s helper deliver them. Most hucksters were ready for business and left the public market at 8:00 AM. My father was an exception. The entire process of buying, trimming, displaying and selling started at 5:00 AM when we arrived at the market until 8:30 AM when the truck was prepared for calling on customers.
Before we called on the first customer, my father would spend about an hour in the public market restaurant “having coffee” while I waited in the truck. Often, we would not get to our first customer until 9:30 AM.
When he called on customers directly in front of their homes, I would wait for him to prepare and price the order. Then I made the delivery, something he could have easily done himself. On Saturday nights, he called on his last customer, Hedges Bar & Grill on the corner of Joseph Avenue and Leo Streets. We would arrive about 6 PM. We would depart as late as 10:30 PM. NEXT PAGE
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