Rotharmel letter: Old memories

Your article in the Sunday, March 6, Statesman about the Depot Grill brought back memories of 1955 when I worked the graveyard shift (10 p.m.-6 a.m.) as a busboy in Monterey, Calif. at a 24-hour cafe called Dutch Youngman’s. Early in the shift we would get a lot of policemen changing shifts, the insomniacs and late diners.

After the bars closed at 2 a.m. we got all the late night drinkers getting sobered up. Late in the shift we had a lot of customers on their way to work. The jukebox played constantly. Nat King Cole, “Mona Lisa”; Peggy Lee, “Fever”; Frank Sinatra, “Mood Indigo.” It seemed everyone smoked, filled ashtrays on every table. I was 16 and earned $1 per hour.

After taxes and meals were deducted, my net earnings were $32 per week. I saved most of my money, and with a little help from my father I bought a 1946 Ford which I drove until 1962. Growing up was a gas.

This story was originally published March 27, 2016 at 11:13 PM with the headline "Rotharmel letter: Old memories."