Railroad Hat

While sorting pictures I came across this picture.  The memory of me putting on my own roof by myself still make my fingers on my left hand tingle.  I had to press down with my left hand I had to hold the blade with my right hand and cut the tabs.  My left hand fingers  tingled and hurt for years afterwards.  

But wait!  I  putting a new roof solo is not what this is about.   It is about my hat. I noticed in the picture I was wearing my gray striped railroad hat.

Months before when the picture taken we went to Chattanooga to the  Railroad Museum.  We bought our sons the gray stripped railroad worker type of hats.  We bought them hats.  We didn't buy me a hat.

After thinking about it I decided I wanted a hat like that too.  I saw them for sale at Goldstein's Department Store, which at that time was where McClellan's was, and now it is a restaurant.  I called Goldstein's and Mr. Goldstein answered the phone.  I described the kind of hat I wanted and he said that he had them.  I asked how much and he said, $3.99.

I worked at night getting off at 8:30am.  When I got off one morning I drove to downtown Marietta, walked into Goldstein's and walked to the work hats and caps and picked up the railroad hat I wanted.  Mrs. Goldstein followed me, stood back until I made my choice.  There were no price stickers on any of the merchandise.  I asked her how much is it (Herbert had already told me on the phone $3.99).  She held the hat up and hollered to Mr. Goldstein about 20 or 25 feet away. 

She said, "Mister Goldstein, how much are these hats?"

He didn't look at the hat, but looked at me.  He said, $2.99.

I already knew he had a reputation for looking at the person, not the product when telling  the price.

I didn't know if I should feel lucky I saved a dollar or insulted because that is all he thought I would pay.