The Old Coke Machine and the Unlit Cigar Scottsboro, AL
This is probably one of a very
few photos that was taken on the inside of the old Johnson Plumbing and
Electric Co., Scottsboro, Alabama, that contains a shot of the old Coke machine that was one of the
original "fixtures" of the history of the building. If you take a closer look at the front of the
machine you can see where the Coke Company had increased the price from 6¢ to
10¢. The 6¢ price increase didn't last
long because of confusion and expense of the extra 1¢ upgrade from a
nickel! I remember when the Coke
representative changed out the coin mechanism when the price went up! Right beside the machine is the typical
“stack” of refills of the old returnable glass bottles. This photo was taken after the first remodel
of the building and the old wooden front was removed. Originally the old Coke machine sat on the
right hand side wall on the front entrance of the building. The man in the photo, of course, is my
Dad. Again, if you will take a closer
look at his left hand you will notice he is holding a cigar. There is a great story behind the "unlit
cigar". My Dad smoked for
years. One day, as a dare, a friend told
him that he needed to stop smoking. The
friend told him that he wouldn't be able to stop. My Dad, W. H. "Shag" Johnson, Jr., had a lit cigarette in his hands when
the "dare" was made. He looked
at his friend, took a last puff and threw the cigarette in the garbage. That was the last cigarette that he ever smoked! From that day forward he would light a cigar,
put it out, and hold it like he is in the photo. The only time he actually took a
"puff" was to light the cigar.
As soon as it was lit, he put it out.
I guess this was his way of breaking free from cigarettes. From time to time he would put the unlit
cigar in his mouth, but that was usually right before he threw it in the
trash. People who knew him could tell
when he was upset or unhappy by the way he would chew on the cigar before
throwing it away!
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