Veteran Buys a Grocery Store After the Second World War

I returned home in 1946, after
almost four years in the Army, a veteran of the second World War. The experiences I had left me bitter with the
world. I had decided I would stop to visit Mom and Dad before going on to a big
city to live. I wasn’t in the mood for working. I was going to join the 52-20
club. The government was paying the veterans $20 a week for up to 52 weeks
while adjusting to civilian life. I was aiming for the full amount.

My brother had come home after
serving almost four years in England
and purchased one of the grocery stores in a small north-west Kansas town. His meat cutter suddenly quit
to go to Oregon.
I agreed to help him out for a few weeks. After I was there about six weeks, my
brother left for the day. When he came back he told me he had a job and was
leaving the grocery store.

I asked, “Who’s going to buy
the store?”

He replied, “You are!”

I said, “With what? I don’t
have a hundred dollars to my name.”

A few evenings later I was in the
local tavern with a friend who always bought the beer for us. He asked me,
“What are you going to do about buying the store?”

I said, “Nothing. I talked to
the banker about a loan and he told me, ‘I won’t loan you any money on the
store. It is too risky. If you were buying cattle, I would make you a loan.’ It
looks as if I will be out of a job.”

He asked, “How much money
would you need to buy it?” I told him the figure.

As the evening went on I was visiting with a man next to me.
My friend was busy writing a check, which I thought was for more beer money. He
tore the check out and nudged me in the ribs, and when I turned around he
handed me the check. I said, “What is this?”

He said, “Look at it.” I
looked and was astonished to see that it was for the amount I needed to buy the
store.

He would not draw up a promissory
note: he said he knew I would pay him back. He was a friend indeed. 

Ivan French
Mercedes, Texas