The following “letter” is part of the continuing series from the unpublished novel by James Garrett, “Benicia Letters Once More”. He does not plan to publish the book but instead is choosing to share the letters with the readers of the Benicia Herald. The letters continue the storyline of Garrett’s first novel “Benicia and Letters of Love”. Each “letter” tells of love in one of its many forms from a separate point of view. Benicia is represented prominently in the letters because of Garrett’s deep fondness for the city of Benicia. He hopes readers see themselves or others they know in the letters because the concept of “Love” is universal.

Mr. Garrett,
Love for a place can be as simple as going to the long-gone Black and White Liquor Store, which was once in business at the northwest corner of Main Street and “I” Street, with your friends after football practice. It was usually four of us. The site is empty now as I write this.
We would buy some kind of snack and carbonated beverage. Banana Dreams and the soft drink Zil may not be around anymore for all I know. Peanuts, Coke, Pepsi, and Hershey candy bars are though. One guy used to dump peanuts in his Pepsi and drink and chew. That never did appeal to me, but different tastes for different people. He was a good guy as were each of the others.
I don’t know that the degree of going there reflected our love for Benicia, but I know it was love. Partly it had to do with being with the guys. In a way it was an extension of the school day or football practice. The only times the four of us went there as a group were those one or two times a week during football season. The sport we had in common was football. One of the four has passed on. I haven’t seen the other two in about fifty years. I sometimes wonder if they think of me.
If it was a sunny afternoon we often went to the Black and White after playing for a couple hours, bought soft drinks, or some ice cream, and sat on the curb watching what little traffic there was in those days go by. What we were really looking for were any girls who may appear and some always did. They were looking for us and all of us knew it. They would drag Main repeatedly and yell to us from the car or throw water balloons at us. Time would do what it does and we would all go home or some would go to another’s house.
Once Benicia had a population of 6,000, now there are about 30,000. There are benefits with growth, but there will never again be a time when a bunch of good guys sit on the curb in front of the Black and White Liquor Store and watch the girls go by. It wasn’t perfect. There were problems as there will always be, but it was a good time.
Just a Simple “Joe”

James Garrett is a lifelong resident of Benicia and a former teacher at Benicia High School. He is the author of the following novels: “Benicia and Letters of Love,” “The Mansion Stories,” “Chief Salt,” and “One Great Season, 9-0!” He also compiled a three-volume work titled “The Golden Era: Benicia High School Football, The 1948 through 1960 Seasons, “A” History with Comments.”
He can be contacted at jgstoriesnpoetry@aol.com.

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