Was just down in town hitting my P.O. Box. I don't get mail up here. But anyway, driving back up the mountain listening to the only F.M Classic Rock station I receive out here, a Bob Seger tune came on:
"MAINSTREET".
I gotta admit, every time I hear that tune I immediately am transported back to late 1968, on a revisit to Lawton Oklahoma.
I was stationed at Fort Sill for my AIT (Advanced Individual Training) just after my Basic Combat Training at Fort Ord, CA.
I was in a very specialized school, so weekends began on Friday after school and ran thru Sunday, and we were not subject to K.P. Duty, Guard Duty, C.Q., etc.---it was my and my new classmate buddy's time to use as we pleased.
So we were quite pleased to don our civilian clothes and grab a shuttle into town. The town was Lawton, Oklahoma, and was a typical town with a military base nearby.
Oklahoma at that period and might still be now(?) was what is known as a "Dry State". 3.2% beer was all there was for beers, while whiskey and other hard liquor drinks were not available. BUT, vodka in many flavors was available, as with "Ever Clear", which is grain alcohol. 180 Proof I believe it was, as in 90% alcohol.
So, we, and usually there was 4 of us who had become tight friends, all from different parts of the country, but we would buy 2 Fifths of Orange Vodka and a Quart of Ever Clear and then mix our potent chest hair growing concoction up. It was pretty stout, and as the guy from Baltimore would say:
"That'll put lead in your pencil buddy!"
As a rule, after drinking my share I would mosey on over to "D Street" where the seedy bars were. I always went alone as I didn't want my pals to know what I was up to.
There was one bar in particular with a big glass front window that always had gyrating girls in bikinis doing their stuff. I didn't go to that bar to see gyrating girls in bikinis doing their stuff, but I did go to see ONE gyrating girl in a bikini doing HER stuff.
I never went in the bar, I stayed outside until it was her turn in the window, then I got up close, leaving nose grease and lip marks on the glass, no doubt, because I got in CLOSE.
I was madly in love with the girl; maybe she was a couple years older than me, a blond, and gorgeous. It was not your typical sexual fantasy kinda young guy "lust/love" though.
Sometimes she was not working in the window, and I wouldn't bother looking at the other girls. When it was clear that she was off the night of my visit, I would get bummed out and catch a shuttle back to my barracks.
I never even said one word to the lady.
***
Listening to the lyrics of MAINSTREET now, brings back all the feelings I felt at that point in time, 50+ years ago, there on D-Street. And quite honestly, all the years since has not dampened those feelings.
I usually sit and wonder when I am listening to the song, how her life turned out?
You kids have any songs that do that to ya?
There are live videos available, but this works great for simply listening:
U.V.
