In 1968, I worked each Saturdays as a stocker and clerk at the Nu Way Market, our little country store in Byron. Orville and Vera Winters were the proprietors at that time. I enjoyed working there and found that some people are far different when they shop than what they appear in everyday life.

One of the funniest things that happened while I was working at the store was also one of the scariest when it happened too. There were these two elderly brothers that did not get along well at all. One had served some time in prison when he was young for “making his own money.” The other brother was not of the best character either. They did not make any effort to visit each other, but this day the one who had spent time in prison came in to buy a few groceries. Vera waited on him and I had just come from stocking a shelf and was standing beside him on his left. His brother walked into the store just as he laid his cash down on the counter. The brother was trying to be funny and yelled “Ya better not take that money, caus it ain’t any good.” That is when the fight began. Both came into the boxer stance on each side of me calling each other all kinds of bad names while air boxing and dancing around me like old time fighters.

I tried to ease out of the way, but each time I moved away, the two brothers moved with me. I became concerned that one of the old codgers would land a misplaced blow on me instead of their brother target. This went on for several minutes as Vera watched the incident and did not know what to do to help me out of the predicament I was in. Little did I realize what harmless cowards they really were. The mock fight lasted until a customer walked in the door. I could not have been happier to see a stable customer!