Back on Civvy Street

Well right after the war when they discharged us, they just discharged us, they said if you wanted to stay in you could. But I wasn’t even thinking about staying in because of that five years in the service, I never wore civilian clothes, just a uniform all the time. It was one thing about we had just got out of the army in Halifax, that was a real setback - the prejudice. My brother, Guy, that’s the fellow that is dead now that went through Sicily, him and I was quite close together right from kids up so he was already out, he was out in ‘45, he was living in Dartmouth. So we got out and we went, they give you one hundred dollars to buy clothes, you know. I wished I could get clothes that cheap now. Went to the store, clothing store and I bought a suit, and I remember a pair of black pants and a grey tweed suit, felt hat, these days everybody wore a felt hat. But the funny part about it was, that set us back on our heels. I was staying at the hotel and I went into this hotel and I changed and put my civilians on and boy it felt real funny. I said, “I feel like I’m not dressed!” So we were walking up the street right happy and giggling, going on and walked into this restaurant right on Barrington Street , walked in and sat down and, you know, we just walked in and sat down and we were talking and waited and waited; the waitresses was sitting up by the counter and they were looking at each other. Jeez are we going to get served? So we just said the word and the lady behind the counter she came over said, “Sorry gentleman, we don’t serve you people here in this restaurant.” So we just got up and said, “Yeah, thank you!” And turned and walked out and we sat in there I would say almost ten minutes before she got nerve enough to come over and tell us. And that really dug in the belly because after doing all the war and over in England and places there, I ate in places where it was like my buddy was saying you don’t know what tool to eat with first, you know, and then come home and get in this small restaurant and that. That hurt, that one. I had to brush that one off.