The candy man

This past Saturday I spoke of a man paying me Pops for a $1900 drain snake with 1890 singles and a ten. That man was Lockie Blocker, and he was a truly nice man.

I'm not sure whether Lockie was his legal name or a nickname, but his cards said Lockie Blocker however it was. As I explained the other day he owned several laundry mats and acquired a lot of singles day to day. Further, he had candy and pop machines in his laundries for added income streams. As such, he bought candy in bulk to stock his stores.

About once a year, maybe twice, when he would come by for snake cutters or whatever he, knowing Dad had 7 kids, would give me Pops a box of candy bars to take home to us. I'm talking full sized candy bars as you'd expect in a vending machine, 32 or 36 count per box.

Do you know what kind of treat that was for young kids? Full size Milky Ways or Three Musketeers or Snickers or what have you, and several each! Counting Mom of course (although I don't think she or Pops took any) that was at least four bars each. We were in little kiddie piggy heaven.

That alone wasn't what made him nice, though it helped with kids. He came into our Shop until I was in my twenties, and without fail he was always kind and courteous. Just a genuinely nice guy.

Who says we only remember the folks who done us wrong?

Never mind the denomination

It's all about the Benjamins, the saying goes. The Benjamins are cool, yes. But so are the Georges, the Abrahams, and the Andrews. Money comes like religion: by denomination. I have been paid by several denominations, often in a nice mix. Sometimes those payments have been a bit unusual.

Yesterday a customer's order came to $140.00. He said, "I hope you like change," and paid me in all five dollar bills. Yep, 28 Lincolns. Another time on a $470.00 tab a guy from Canada gave me 47 tens. He said it was what they gave him at the currency exchange. Hey, I don't care. It all spends.

But about 40 years ago Pops was paid off in the most unusual way I've seen so far. For a $1900 dollar machine he was paid with 1890 singles and a ten dollar bill. Yessir, One Thousand Eight Hundred Ninety dollar bills. The customer owned several laundry mats and most of income was dollar bills, from change to run the washers and dryers to buying the single load boxes of detergent from the self service machines. He lived on singles.

Pops didn't even bother to count it. The stack was impressive enough that he took the guy at his word. And it all spent.