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MaX’s sToRY
by Max
school
I went to P.S. 100. I guess I was smart, since I skipped several grades. Elementary school went up through eight grade, and then we started high school. I went to Lincoln High, graduating at age sixteen with honors. I never belonged to any sports teams or clubs because I always worked after school. Although I was very shy and never had a girlfriend, I did take a girl to the senior prom. My brother, Art, drove us in a Cord, a very fancy car. I remember the car, not the girl.
The Gas sTaTIoN
My mother, her parents, Ed and his wife Blanche, and Harold all moved to California. Glad and I stayed in New York so I could finish high school. Art owned a gas station, which had a two-bedroom apartment located behind it. Glad and I lived there and I worked at the station after school. Glad worked in Manhattan, sewing clothing in a garment factory. I was so embarrassed about working at the gas station, that if a kid from school came for gas, I hid. I remember at the time you could get eight gallons of gas for a dollar!! Although I was underage, Art taught me how to drive.
Art was married to Goldie, a terrific girl. They had a wild life together. Artie was a partner in the gas station with Goldie’s brother. Art made a lot of money from the gas coupons, but Artie was always a gambler, which was a bad thing to be when you’re in business. Art just couldn’t have a partner. He had great personality, though, and was always telling jokes, always charming everyone. But, he must have been troubled because he had a nervous habit of always scratching his shins.