What if you could take your grandchildren on a trip back in time to 1956? This novel combines nostalgia with a grandparent's special relationship with his grandchildren in a tale of time travel. As he clearly sees their reality, he resents the blatant deterioration of our current society. Evident is the results of inflation, moral degradation, and the destruction of family values. It is his intent that though their view of the future is dim, and having been a victim of child of abuse himself, to show them that their ten year old lives will soon change, and what they observe and experience will never control their destiny. Imagine a grandfather taking his granddaughters on journey back in time, when he was their age and the year was 1956. Together, he shares what his life was like as he walks with them as equals in this innocent age of nickel pop and penny candy. His relationship with his granddaughters is a close one, and he mourns the loss of so many freedoms that he enjoyed when he was their age. They would nver know a parent sending them out to play and saying, "be home before dark," or, "just stay in the neighborhood." At ten years old, in 2011, they unfortunately are aware of what the word "predator" means, and having their television censored for foul language or sexual content. So when telling them of the Mickey Mouse Club, or Winky Dink, they laugh as if it was all fantasy and a fabrication of their Grandpa's mind. He shares a special bond with them, because two are in a broken home shattered by divorce, and two are adopted and have formerly suffered the abuse of the foster 'care' system. Being a product of a broken home and abuse himself, he understands their fears and recognizes that this new generation is having their childhood and innocence destroyed by our culture. So at the critical age of ten, he lets them visit an era when children could walk freely to the park. A time before electronics dominated and interaction with friends and family was all important. A time before musical lyrics were censored, yet those 'Oldies but Goodies' were considered so threatening, as Rock and Roll was born.
A Trip Back in Time
A NovelBy Edwin F. BeckerAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2011 Edwin F. Becker
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4567-6281-0Chapter One
They sat on the patio facing the fourth hole in a plush, gated golf community. It was a sunny morning, and it was also LeeAnn's birthday. She chose to spend the whole weekend with her grandparents. She loved talking with her Papa because he seemed to know everything. However (and even better) when he didn't, he would just make up all kinds of funny stuff.
"When I was your age, they didn't have houses built on golf courses like this." LeeAnn's grandfather explained.
"Papa, why don't you get a golf cart?" She asked, as a parade of golf carts drove alongside his property.
He smiled. "Well, for a starter, I don't golf."
"But Papa, we could drive it around and have fun." The 'we' she was referring to was her younger sister, Ashlee, and her two cousins, Krystal and Madeline. They normally attended their grandparent's home together, but this was LeeAnn's birthday weekend and she was enjoying having her grandparents to herself. Her sister and cousins would arrive later in the day. LeeAnn was ten years old today, but far more mature and perceptive than your average ten year old. She was entering the age of 'tween', as it is referred to. This is the uncomfortable age of no longer being a child, but not yet an adolescent. She had blonde hair with bright blue eyes, that sparkled as she kidded with her Papa.
"Come on, Papa, buy a golf cart. It would be a blast!"
"When I was your age, we didn't have golf carts." He answered.
LeeAnn gazed out at the vast acreage of what was only two of eighteen fairways in sight, and gasped.
"Are you telling me that they carried those heavy golf bags for the whole game?"
"No. Some had wheels on the bags, so you could pull them along, but mostly they had caddies. Caddies were typically high school kids that would carry the bags for the golfer and make a few bucks."
"Papa, I wouldn't carry the bags for a hundred dollars all that way." She replied.
"When I was your age, that's what they did and they were happy to do it to make a little money."
"Come on Papa. Are you sure you didn't have dinosaurs pulling golf wagons?" She laughed.
"Okay, I realize it sounds a bit absurd, but that is how it was and we loved every minute of those years. I never realized that the 'Good old days' were really the good old days!"
Papa laughed and pointed. "Just look at that guy with headphones on. If someone yells 'fore,' he is not going to hear them and will likely get hit in the head by a golf ball. Must everyone today have something stuffed in their ears?"
"Oh, Papa, you slay me!" She laughed.
"LeeAnn, learn to spot an idiot when you see one. He probably comes from a long line of idiots that were sent here from Europe. A little known fact is that in 1492, Columbus really arrived with four ships, not three. There was the Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria ... and then this last ship, the Idiota. It was this last ship that was filled with idiots that Europe sent to Spain to get rid of. No one ever talks about that fourth ship, but those idiots spread out all over America. Come to think of it, maybe getting a good shot in the head with a golf ball will straighten out his whole gene pool!"
LeeAnn just laughed, as Papa always seemed to make fun of everything current. Just then, the patio door opened and her Nana announced "Breakfast is ready! Come in before it gets cold."
LeeAnn surveyed the table, which was filled with pancakes, a platter of scrambled eggs, a pile of bacon, and stack of toast. "Geez Nana, this is what I call breakfast."
"What do you normally eat, young lady?" Nana asked.
"Oh, a pop tart, or maybe just some cereal."
"When I was your age, this is what we normally ate in the morning. We could never face the day without a good, hearty breakfast."
"Nana, did they really carry those heavy golf bags in the old days, or was Papa just making up one of his stories?"
"They sure did. Even the women golfers carried their own clubs, but most used caddies. Did he explain what caddies were?"
"Yeah, but I thought he was just kidding. What's a fore?" She asked.
"Fore means to be forewarned, and is what a golfer yells when he hits the ball where people might be in the general vicinity. It warns them to watch out." She explained.
"Papa called a guy wearing an iPod an idiot!" she laughed.
"Well if he can't hear what is going on around him, a golf course is not the best place to be walking around. I would say your grandfather is right. He pretty much knows an idiot when he sees one."
LeeAnn piled her plate, as this breakfast was a real treat. Meanwhile, Papa did his usual mock-complaining.
"Where's the sausage and French toast? Woman, what are you, on vacation?" He growled.
"Old man, you are lucky to get that. With your heart, I should pile your plate with tofu." Nana snapped back.
LeeAnn just laughed, as this is how Nana and Papa normally kidded one another. Forty-four years of marriage had bonded them, and their love for one another radiated-regardless of their verbal jousting. Just watching them was humorous, as Papa was six foot three and Nana was barely five feet tall, yet she bossed him around and he knew never to push her limits.
"Nana, this is great!" LeeAnn complemented.
"Well, it's really nothing dear. When I was your age we would also have some sliced tomatoes to go with those eggs and a bowl of fruit."
The relationship between grandparents and grandchildren can be unique and special. From a grandchild's perspective, at first they don't know exactly where grandparents fit within the family order. They initially know they smile and like them, but it's only later that they understand that their parents were once their grandparent's children, and as grandchildren they will always receive unconditional love and acceptance that is unmatched in life. All too soon they become used to being showered with lots of good things in concentrated doses.
No sooner than breakfast was over, LeeAnn gathered the plates and cleared the table, proceeding in helping her Nana in the kitchen.
"Thank you, dear." Nana said as she went about her business cleaning the kitchen. "The only time your grandfather will help with the dishes is when we have takeout food! He throws the bags away and then boldly announces 'I did the dishes today!' He is really something!"
As if offended, Papa yelled from the living room. "Are you talking about me?"
"You quiet down or I'll really hurt you!" Nana shouted back.
Meanwhile LeeAnn giggled loudly. "Nana, you and Papa are funny! When Papa tells me about when he was a child, is he kidding?"
"No, likely not. You know when he is kidding, because it will really be a whopper. No, when we were your age things were a lot different. You see all the stuff in our freezer? 90% of it did not exist. Frozen dinners were brand new and nobody had a refrigerator this size. I could never imagine getting water or ice right from the door. In fact, even the word microwave did not exist. Everything happened on the stove."
"Cooking was that different?" LeeAnn asked.
"Oh yes! Almost everything was made from scratch. We even made our own biscuits. We did have canned vegetables, but we had very few prepared meats. You had to go to a butcher shop or the delicatessen for cold cuts. Way back...
