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FRY

Lewis Johnston

"Fry" is the only name I have ever known him by, although I
doubt that this is his Christian name. He is a solidly built Negro
about forty-five or fifty years old, with exceptionally clean-cut features.
I first met him in my freshman year in college when, with several
other boys, I visited his tavern. This is an unimpressive white stucco
building which sets alone far back from the road. On the inside, how-
ever, I soon discovered an entirely different atmosphere. The buil~-
ing is divided into two rooms. The one in the front is finished In
knotty pine and boasts an immaculate bar running the length of one
wall. In the center of the room squats a pot-bellied stove which looks
as if it has had one too many coats of paint. Several sets of tables and
chairs whose glossiness has submitted to innumreable wipings adorn
the remaining areas of the room. The room in the rear houses only
two billiard tables which show the effects of many hours of play.

When I was introduced to Fry, he greeted me in thick, slurred
tones-"What do you say, Lew?" A mischievous grin crossed his face
which seemed incongruous with his years. As he spoke, I could almost
feel the layers of any apprehensions or prejudices I might have had
being peeled away. He seemed to be at ease whether the subject was
billiards or politics.

My interest in the man was so strong that I found myself back
again the next afternoon. He greeted me as he probably would have
an old, old friend, and I felt a familiar warmth of spirit radiate once
more from him. Late that afternoon when he closed up, he asked me
if I would like to COmeto his house for dinner. I accepted immediate-
ly, and was fascinated by the possibility of getting to know this man
a little better.

He lives alone in an extremely small house, but one that is im-
maculately clean, well kept and orderly. Each article of furniture in
the living room, despite the lack of space, seemed not tightly packed
together, but part of a unified and systematic whole. The entire house
was similarly done, and impressed me as the perfect example of one's
surroundings reflecting his personality.

I enjoyed my conversation with Fry that night more than I had
any other in a long time. He seems to have no worries, or if he does,
mana~es to conceal them expertly. He believes in enjoying as much.