When I was three, my mother treated me to an ice cream cone because I had been good at the doctor's office. She gave me the ice cream and struck up a conversation with a friend standing beside the car. When she entered the car, she told me how proud she was of me - I didn't make a complete mess of myself or my dress. I was a good girl.
After a few more errands, we went home. It was a hot summer day. There was no air conditioning in the car, nor was our house air conditioned - something I have moaned about before in previous blogs.
Alas, The Dippo closed some time around the eighties. It was still there in 1974 because my boyfriend and I ate there. But those old land marks have all disappeared. I thought they were a total thing of the past when voila! Driving down the heart of Richmond, Texas I spotted a familiar building. . . worn red and white vertical wooden panels, the slanted window, the sliding screen door. Could my eyes be deceiving me? I took the chance and walked up to the window. I ordered a burger and fries. The elderly proprietor, Betty, slid the screen open, pulled out a ticket pad and took my order on a well worn plastic laminate counter that had seen better days about fifty years ago. I struck up a conversation with her by stating that I had driven by on Monday and was disappointed that they were closed. She informed me that she decided some 35 years ago she wanted a day off and chose Mondays. I don't know how long she has been in businss, but she ran that place in record time. My order was called, not by a number on a ticket, but by the phrase, "Honey, your order is ready. You enjoy that burger now and come back."
I sank my teeth into the sandwich. Years peeled away. I was transported to my younger days when we either walked or rode our bicycles to The Dippo. I will certainly patronize her several times before I move away. I was charmed and delighted to discover an old world way of life was still thriving in today's society.
