Mariner’s third job at age 16 was as a soda jerk at a small pharmacy. No one ever, ever said ‘soda clerk’ or ‘fountain clerk’ – probably accurately so. It was a pleasant job. The memories of fixing ice cream and drinks and working an adjacent cigarette/candies window exposed him to dealing mildly with many different personalities and age groups. It helped mariner emerge from a very quiet childhood.

The other thing he remembers about job 3 was that the pharmacy was on a corner on main street. It  had a large pavement area with many cement blocks about 4ftx4ft. It was every boy’s sports arena for what was known then as block ball. The game was played by using the player’s palm to hit a tennis ball aimed at his square, sending to another player’s block – just like pickleball today.

So, fellow workers, what was your earliest job where you provided a service to people you didn’t know? If applicable, did you start to smoke? What was different about your new friends? Did you have a pet? Who was the top-of-chart singer during your service job? Had you had a crush by then?

Mariner’s social life was building in those years. He quit the soda jerk job to work job 4 as a short order cook over the winter.

Ancient Mariner