Vulcan's Spear Pt.4

The young boy who was seated below was seated with his parents and his older brother Dickie. He was maybe seven years old and had a flair about him which did not jibe with the rest of his family's down home style. Born Jeffrey, he had changed the spelling to Geoffrey to accent his adopted persona which was akin to an english arisocracy. Geoffrey sewed his own clothes which he scounged for out of the dipsy dumpsters of Hancock Fabrics in Roebuck Shopping Center. He really stood outin his charcoal gray knockers and ox blood and blue lively ascotts.

As the racket ceased from up above, Geoffrey felt sorry for the young bus boy. He pushed around his dry noodles with his chopstick.

kaintock

Vulcan's Spear Part 3

Joe King was a slight young man with a deferred vacant mug. He was adequately fumbling through his first work day at Joy Youngs' as a bus boy. The truth is his real name wasn't Joe King and he was actually from Viet Nam. But, for 1963 era Birmingham, he was chinese enough.

As he approached the Bear's table the fousome were breaking up with laughter over a joke that Pat James told about an Alabama linebacker from Arab and an Auburn tight end from Pascagula, Miss. Joe King reached for an appetizer plate littered with a half eaten egg roll and six Kent "king sized" cigarrette butts. The Bear did not relish the interruption and in an unintelligable rant proceeded to hurl a verbal whippin' at Joe which ended with "commie gook". The entire restaurant was silenced by this outburst. A young boy seated in the commissary below was particulaly shaken by the experience. He never fogot it.

clay

Vulcan's Spear Pt.2

As the chopper gets louder,the screen dissolves into the revolving spokes of a 1962 Eldorado.It is 1963. The caddy is occupied by two couples who are loaded. The car pulls in front of Joy Young's restaurant.And out stumbles the great Alabama football coach, Bear Bryant. He is accompanied by his assistant coach whose name would later join the likes of Nicky's, John's and Joy Young's as Birmingham restaurant royalty, Pat James.

The boys are celebrating ummm. Well, noone really remembers the occasion, but the bourbon is flowing and two ladies of the evening, Candy and Roberta from Centerpoint are in tow. Out tumble the foursome and The Bear chucks a silver dollar at at an excited group of colored teenage boys and warbles, "park it on the 4th Avenue...Buckwheat...and come and see me in August in T-town."

Joy Young's was as exotic and high tone as the Magic City had seen since the Tutwiller Hotel opened. The decor was a not unlike the great movie palaces of the era. It was as dark, plush and cool as a Hopper painting. You know the one with the girl waiting under the dimly lit lodge sign. The main dining room was three stories high. The ground floor had maybe 40 four-tops. On the second floor was a perimeter balcony which held the coveted, curtained booths. Up there, diners enjoyed the swinging Shanghai treatment. Private "geisha girl" waitresses,sugary sweet cocktails with colorful umbrellas and chop suey loaded up with thick brown gravy.