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Why? Ever ask yourself that question? I didn’t think so. Me neither. Well, maybe sometime. Today, for instance. Why am I attracted to old movie theatres? I don’t know. I don’t care much if I don’t know exactly why. I think it has to do with “grinning”. No, I don’t prefer comedies or goofy story lines in movies. I am a serious individual.
The Boss and I were eating breakfast at one of our many favorite places we frequent on Saturday mornings. “Frequent” is the right word, trust me. She was sitting there patting her foot waiting for me to finish my cup of coffee. She doesn’t drink coffee.
“Know what?”
“What?”, slurp
"I have been thinking, I wonder what the house Grandmother used to live in looks like?”
Slurp. “Humph.”
“I have thought about it a several times.”
"Ok, Let’s go then.” Coffee cup empty. I had worn out my excuses.
“It’s in Greenville.”
.“I ain’t that senile yet.” I slide my coffee cup to the side.
“And then we could ride on over to Denton and look at the house we moved into when we got married. That is only a little over an hour more”
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“Did you take your pills this morning?”
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“Yes, but I need my sunglasses.”
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At 11:30 am we are leaving the house for the second time that morning. Sunglasses, books, Kindle and cameras. Off to Grandmother’s house we go.
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In a couple of hours we were driving up and down the remembered street counting the lots of the once sidewalk edged street. Well, things aren’t as big, long, or shinny as we remember growing up. The street was broken and cracked. Weeds lined both sides of the once manicured street.
.“Ok, it is in the next block, slow down.”
I would have never guessed to do that. I coasted to an almost slow crawl.
“We missed it. You have got to turn around.”
I would have never guessed to do that. I turned around right in the middle of the next intersection. There was no traffic. I had to be careful of the Dodge pickup that looked abandoned.
“Ok, don’t go so fast, you will pass it again.”
Do you think I would have ever guessed to do that?
.“It’s gone.”
It was gone. The pier foundation posts were still there.
“What happen to it?"
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“I don’t know. I guess somebody took it.” I was amused at my wit.
The Boss’s expression revealed to me that not only was I not amusing, but there was more to it than that.
We expect things to stay as we remembered them. Time has passed since I started this story. Time had devoured that small part of her world. I did not feel witty anymore. I made another turnaround and drove back down the street. It was still discouraging.
“Well, let’s go on to Denton and we will have a good time there.” Putting an optimistic spin on the situation, I felt, seemed like a good idea.
“Ok.” Looking out the window, she was searching one last time. I could not see her face.
As we drove out of that neighborhood, I think maybe that street still had its sidewalks bordered with neatly trimmed grass and flowers dotting the adjacent yards. I am pretty sure The Boss saw it
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* * * * * * * *
Denton, Texas 1970, avenue B. flash to 2010.
“Turn left here.”
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I don’t think I would have thought of that. How did I ever make it this far, reckon?
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“The street used to be crushed rock. Remember trying to ride that old bicycle that you painted florescent green on all that gravel. This is much better. I am glad to see good changes for a while.”
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I slowed to a crawl, I don’t have to be told three times.
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“It should be right there. But,,It is gone. There are apartments there now.”
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I backed the van up. There was no Dodge pickup in the way on the street. “Are you sure it wasn’t the last one, there?”
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“No, it was next to the last one on the street. It’ gone.”
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“The E-Z Mart is still back there. We passed it awhile ago. Let’s go get some M&Ms and a Dr Pepper. Remember? We used to do that every time I got paid.” I didn’t want her looking out the window like back in Greenville. I almost felt a little frantic.
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“Ok, but It’s gone.” Something must have been outside the window.
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“Let’s ride around the square. I want to take some shots of the old movie theaters. I have been taking pictures in every town I travel to when calling on customers. Those M&Ms are pretty good aren’t they?”
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Crunch, Crunch, Crunch.
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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In 1971, John Wayne as “Big Jake” came to the silver screen at the Campus Theatre on west Hickory Avenue. We were there. The theatre was still there. I got out of the van and walked up to the front door. The Boss stayed with the air conditioning and her Kindle. I could see someone moving around through the round windows of the lobby doors leading into the main auditorium. I figured that if I messed around looking through the front door long enough he would get curious and ask what the heck I wanted.
I jumped a mile. A nicely dressed young woman came from behind me. “Could I help you?”
“Ah, yes ma’um,,ah my name is (you know what it is), and my wife and I moved to Denton in 1970 and we came to this theater all the time.” I sort of was talking off the cuff.”And I am a famous writer and I got this blog site, and all my friends would just love to hear about how,, this and that.” I could see it in her face. She finally smiled.
“Would you like to peek inside?”
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“Oh, yes ma’um, that would be wonderful, and if you don’t mind, would it be ok to take a few pictures of the inside, if I can’t, well, I understand and all that.” Envision a “hang-dog” look right here.
A light chuckle. “Sur’uh, but I am running behind and we have a play performance tonight so I have GOT to get some paper work finished. Just take all you want.”
“Yes Ma’um, I will only take a few so I will only be a minute.”
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels played that Saturday night. I did not go to the show, but, you know what? I am going to one in the future. I might go to two of them. The building was refurbished to its original state.
The carpet was manufactured in the original weave and color pattern. The seats were upgraded. professional stage lighting was installed and it looked like the stage area may have been enlarged. Some things I miss. I am a talker not a reporter, but I wanted to share with you why I like old theatres, both renovated and dilapidated. I am attracted to all of them. Why? Well that is how we started today and after studying about it. I think it is because they hold a treasure of universal memories for everyone that has ever had the opportunity to go to one of the single screen, pop corn cooking, shoe sole sticking movie houses. They can fall in on themselves but the mystic is never “gone”. Try to look at one, if you are old enough to remember them, and try to keep that grin off your face.
Larry McMurtry, I hope you are wrong. I hope there will never be “The Last Picture Show”
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If you want to drop by "The Campus" website just click on the highlight
Say "hello" to Ms. Julie
**sorry about the spacing and layout, after 1.5 hours of everything jumping around, I gave up. Try you best to read it.. lol
