RUDIMENTS, pt. 1,331
('solitary and reading something)
Rubin was a fine fellow. One
of those years, maybe '74, my
wife - who was a big Mr. Rubin
fan too - used him for getting
a birthday gift for me. Rubin had
a local friend in the leather business.
To my surprise, that one year she
presented me with a very fine, soft
leather, with straps and a shoulder
strap too, a really grand, briefcase;
old-style, as not much seen these
days. Fine, thick leather, undyed
yet polished on one side, with large
straps. No buckles or snaps, and a
voluminous inside area, with two
expandable pockets. The thing was
grand. I still have it, and I often
used it on my daily train travel
to and from Princeton - usually
getting a comment or two about
'that fine bag.' It very much did
resemble a saddlebag, so I could
see why the comments were valid.
She probably, back then, paid like
70 bucks, I'd bet. A pretty penny,
for us. Today it would easily be
$700. In talking with my wife
about this just now, she can recall
how, after the washer and dryer
we'd needed to buy, and after this
briefcase purchase, we had 6 dollars
in the bank.
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Rubin was old-line, old-school,
Elmira. There wasn't anything
'modern' in his make-up. He
handled his cash register, and
the making of change, in an old
school, and deliberate, manner;
stipulating change by carefully
delineating nickels, dimes, and
quarters. no confusion, no mistake.
His clothes were often bunched
and baggy. In all other respects,
and within the running of his shop,
he was right on the mark. Oftentimes
he'd be the only person in there, and
I'd walk in on him, bunched on a
chair behind the register area, solitary
and reading something. He'd look
up, and the talk would commence.
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That business strip of Elmira was an
odd mix. There was a place named
'Harold's' at the corner - jeans, Army
and Navy stuff, pea jackets, military
knifes and equipment, camping stuff,
warm socks, hiking boots, even tools
and bicycles, as I recall. It was always
there, and came back after the flood
too, as had Rubin's. I could only
imagine the ungodly mess of soggy
magazines, and gear, newspapers
and clothing, that they both lost.
The funny thig about Elmira, and
that flood - which remains vivid
to this day - is the way it swept
through (June 24, 1972, I think),
and then lingered only briefly, and
left. The old little city was devastated.
But those things that came back, most
but not all of it, came back in the very
same look and format that they had
had before. The only 'monied' changes
were those of the aforementioned -
in the previous chapter - Chemung
Bank building. They probably got
all the money they ever wanted from
small-business and disaster loans. They
built a rocket-ship like, Jetsonesque
monstrosity, about 8 stories high. it
was completely out of place, and ugly
besides, in a sort of blown-on tan
pebbles and stone finish that was
basically hideous. I guess when
you're the big lender in town you
can do what you damn well please,
and some cranked-up architect had
probably sold the dolts on his design.
There were two other banks, that I
remember, Marine Midland, and
Elmira Savings and Loan, but they
paled by comparison, and their tastes
in 'architecture' were much tamer.
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The entire southside of Elmira, meaning
the 'south' bank of the river (lowlands),
and the streets and homes therein, were
devastated. As you'd maybe expect, this
was the poor section of town, where the
poorer people lived. They were helpless,
if not hopeless too. I knew a few people
there - most went to Red Cross stations
and temporary National Guard relief
shelters. They all seemed to get by, but
I don't know how they managed the
money and the re-building. In that same
area, during the flood, there were one
of two low cemetery grounds that the
swirling waters and eddies were able
to do a job on; twisting the ground and
dislodging caskets. There's one of those
1972 Hurricane Agnes flood memorial
booklets that have photos of caskets
floating and swirling along the streets
in the high-flood muds and currents.
That was pretty weird, but not much
was ever spoken about it, later on. A
mark of shame, somehow? Not to be
brought up or discussed?
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We had to put up for one night in a
Red Cross station. It was pretty much
a miserable site, with wailing babies,
kids all over, and wailing mothers too.
The higher ground, at the college section,
where we lived, was never in any danger;
nor was the college, or its library, etc.
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Anyway, that old flood really shook
up Elmira, and for a long time too. It
was a good two years before the place
truly got back on its feet - Sears, the
MacDonald's, and the rest of downtown;
comprised as it was of small proprietor
shops and stores plenty of churches, two
supermarkets, and the rest. But, when it
did come back, it came back nicely, or
nice enough anyway.
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