Cost of Living

Why is it, I wonder, that old folks tend to talk

about the way things used to be? I, myself, see

no sense in bringing up the past. Young folks

today can’t relate anyway. So, I figure, what

in hell is the use? Ah, but in a moment when I do

feel the need to reminisce, I might talk about my

thrill as a child finding a nickle on the street. By

golly, back then, that would buy you a Snicker’s

Bar big enough to share with a friend. And in the

mid-1960s, I bought a 3-bedroom ranch with a

full basement, a fenced-in back yard and central

air. The mortgage payment was a whopping one

hundred and twenty-five dollars a month. And I

had a new car too, a ‘68 Chevy Nova costing me

only $2500 in totality. Why, today, it seems damn

near impossible for most folks to make ends meet,

especially if you happen to be supporting a family.

Take a pack of smokes for instance, I realize most

young folks don’t have that habit to support these

days. It’s a well-known fact that that noxious weed

is likely to shorten your life considerably. Why at

more than five-bucks a pack, and at a pack or two

a day, how are you going to afford that? Take me for

instance, I began smoking when I was twelve-years

old. Back then, Camels, Lucky Strikes, all the brand

names were only twenty-five cents a pack. Had we

known that the damn things would eventually send

us to an early grave, we may have figured, at least

we wouldn’t go broke getting there.

Chris Hanch 7-17-18