NO LOITERING
Mundell’s was the hot spot for teenagers to hang out at in our small town back in the day, back when my oldest brother was finally driving legally. Mrs. Mundell was the owner of the drive in style fast food slash shake shop.
She was a dark haired woman that was old enough for her hair to have gone grey, but it was still just beginning to color at the edges, sorta like a leaf at the beginning of fall. Her reading glasses were perched permanently at the tip of her nose as she’d take the orders, mostly fountain drinks, from rambunctious teenagers. She’d never frown, but she’d never smile either. And her monotone voice matched her demeanor.
There was a faded sign under the metal awning where the cars pulled in on an angle and the four tabled patio, opposite side of the bathrooms, that read, “No Loitering”.
Now a lot of the kids would break that rule, but not all of them. If they bought a small drink and sipped it like it was poison they could stay all night. And some of them did.
Typical of our generation, the kids would go cruise the small town, sometimes race their or their parents car, ’cause everyone thought their V-8 powered cars were fast, and end up back at Mundell’s.
Occasionally my mom would take my sister and me to Mundell’s for a cherry Coke, before the mega corporation actually made one. It was fun to watch the teenagers, especially their cars, and dream of the day that I’d get to loiter and cruise.
I saw a sign the other day, I can’t remember where, a gift from time, that was sporting those old fashioned words, “No Loitering”. That’s what picked my mind up and dropped it back in the seventies.
You don’t see those signs much these days. As kids, those signs warning us not to loiter was a good excuse to do just that. I remember a few grouchy shop owners would point to the signs and bark at us, “No Loitering!” We’d chuckle and give them a smart reply, usually something about not feeling like a Loiter. It was kinda fun just to say the awkward word.
The loitering signs went the way of the loud V-8 powered cars and the dinosaurs, not to mention Mundell’s Drive In. After Mrs. Mundell retired the old drive in became a used car lot. Eventually it was torn down and is now a two story office building.
These days a lot of businesses encourage folks to loiter, they don’t call it that, but that’s what it is, at least to us Baby Boomers.
I have frequent business meetings at convenient Starbucks. Unfortunately, sometimes they last a long time. And inevitably when I’m in those meetings there are youngsters, and oldsters alike, with their noses in a book or laptop, loitering. They don’t even keep the key to the bathrooms locked up behind the counter… not to mention the bathrooms are inside now…
Not that everyone in small towns are best friends, but you still know everyone. When I go back to visit the town I grew up in, which isn’t so small anymore, you know when a Home Depot pops up you’re officially not a small town anymore, I still run into people I grew up with. We know each other a little more intimately than folks who had more people to interact with…
And because we loitered under the signs that said, “No Loitering”.
Sunday, August 25, 2019 @ 5:01 am
I do recall those signs, Floyd, and I love the memories you’ve shared here. Maybe these days, we’re in too much of a hurry to simply loiter. Perhaps, we should rethink that.
Blessings!
Sunday, August 25, 2019 @ 5:08 am
Floyd, I hope I don’t end up with two comments here, but I was “told” there was an error in leaving my first one.
Loved the memories you’ve shared here. Think we should all slow down and loiter with a purpose.
Blessings!
Sunday, August 25, 2019 @ 2:01 pm
As I read this i have to wonder if I missed something. I grew up in a suburb of Pittsburgh, a big enough city that spilled over into McKeesport, Duquesne and where I lived, West Mifflin. i also did not have any money since mom and dad were pretty poor so hanging out (loitering) at a ice cream place or hamburger joint was not an option. I get to do that now though (as you mentioned). Taking people to lunch to talk about church, their lives, their kid’s lives, and just about anything else. That Chinese restaurant or pizza place doesn’t say “No Loitering” but it is a good thing. I’d be whisked out of there in a heartbeat. I still wonder if I missed something.
Monday, August 26, 2019 @ 10:08 am
Yeah, I didn’t loiter growing up, usually just spent the time in my room… I still spend time in my room. But when I did loiter it was usually at stores like Toys R Us, or maybe the Hobby Store.
Of course, this is Las Vegas, so loitering on the Strip was always an option. But you had to be part of a group..otherwise it just wasn’t fun. These days though, you have to pay to park at a Casino… so you really can’t loiter like you would.
Oh, I do loiter every payday at Taco Bell… but who doesn’t loiter at Taco Bell?
So many places are being shut down… it’s a shame really… I guess the older we get, the less we loiter.
Monday, August 26, 2019 @ 1:57 pm
I loitered today in the waiting room as I read a book, while waiting for my friend to have a procedure done, and she was not supposed to drive, so I was the designated driver. Turned out they could not do the work today, because she took some medicine that the Dr did not have a record of so it was postponed. We went to the Casino and ordered lunch at the diner there, and loitered as we enjoyed our meal. Lovely post Floyd.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019 @ 2:49 pm
I worked at the loitering place when I was a teen, car hop as they called it back then. Dog and Suds was my first car hop job then I did a few months at the Drive Inn where all the wild kids hung out. I knew them all because I hung with them. That was the place the cops drove around the most. I loiter a lot now, lunch with a friend who is struggling, or lunch with a bunch of friends where we sit longer then we should but we are having too much fun to leave. And when we do we find a bench or an outside table to continue to have some more fun before we all must go home. Fun post Floyd…
(Something you might try to enable you to comment on my post, re-follow me, someone told me that might work)
Friday, August 30, 2019 @ 3:46 am
Gosh, I remember a place exactly as you describe this one, and I loved their cherry cokes. It was called Whataburger (sp?). We also had a Dog and Suds, very similar. I was in high school before the first McDonald’s came to our area, ten miles away from our town, and then Burger King. Poor little Whataburger lost most of it’s teenaged loiters once the whopper came to town. I never thought of Starbucks encouraging loitering, but you’re exactly right. So much fun to look back and compare to today.