THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 17, 1995 TAG: 9509150183
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Long : 143 lines
Tuesday, Sept. 5
5:25 p.m. - Wendy's restaurant.
A man orders a Big Classic Combo and a chicken sandwich at the drive-through window. After receiving the food, he hands the medium-size drink over to his wife.
``Hey, I thought you got a Biggie drink with a combo,'' she says. ``That's what we've always been given.''
``Yeah, I thought so, too,'' the man says, hailing the girl behind the window.
``Don't you get a Biggie drink with a combo?'' he asks.
The girl shakes her head.
``No, it comes with a medium,'' she answers. ``But you can upgrade the drink to a Biggie for 4 cents.''
``Can you do that now, please?'' he inquires, handing the lemonade back to her.
``No problem,'' she cheerfully replies. He holds out a quarter as she returns with the now-Biggie drink.
``Don't you have anything smaller?'' she asks. ``Four pennies or a nickel?''
``Uh, no, I don't,'' he says.
She smiles and waves him off.
``Oh, just forget it,'' she says with a laugh.
- Pam Starr
Wednesday, Sept. 6
1:30 p.m. - Virginia Beach Boulevard.
A n enthusiastic group of kids is standing on the sidewalk near the intersection with Constitution Drive. They have signs advertising a nearby car wash, and they're holding buckets for Princess Anne High ``recovery fund'' donations.
A motorist stopped at the traffic light rolls down her window. One of the students runs between the cars and the driver drops a bill into the bucket. Then another motorist does the same and so it goes until the light changes. With each donation, the kids cheer and yell ``thank you.''
- Mary Reid Barrow
3 p.m. - Storm Drain Collection Pond, Columbus Loop.
Construction workers stand in the parking lot of the former Charades restaurant. Their T-shirts are soaked with sweat and they mop their brows and stare into the still, hot, late-summer sunshine. The huge piece of heavy equipment they have been using to repave the road refuses to cooperate. They look through tool boxes, turn wrenches and shake their heads in frustration.
One of the men looks up and watches a jogger circling the concrete path around the pond. As he passes by on his fifth lap, one of the men shakes his head and laughs.
``I guess some people don't get enough exercise,'' he says. ``He can have my share today.''
- Gary Edwards
8:10 p.m. - Cafe Society on 19th Street.
A carload of women is waiting for a parking space to open up in the tiny lot next to the restaurant. Some people leave the cafe and climb into a blue van parked back in the corner of the lot near the Dumpster. The van starts backing, then pulls up. Then it starts backing again and stops.
A teenage boy gets out of the passenger side and starts directing the driver out of the tight spot.
The van pulls forward, backs up, pulls forward, backs up, moving only inches at a time. Minutes pass and the van driver is still maneuvering her way out of the lot, at times coming only inches from the Dumpster and the other cars.
More minutes pass while the carload of women wait for the van to get out of the way so they can have that only empty spot.
From inside, diners and workers watch the painfully slow, seesaw action. Finally, the van clears the lot and drives away. When the women park and enter the restaurant, the host approaches, laughing.
``I promise you,'' he says. ``You won't have to wait as long for your dinner as you did to park.''
- Melinda Forbes
Thursday, Sept. 7
8:15 a.m. - Belspring Road in Glenwood.
A fit woman jogs down the street pushing a three-wheeled double stroller. Her son sits on one side, a Cabbage Patch doll occupies the other. Her daughter follows close behind on a bike. A pregnant woman walking her pug admires the stroller as the jogger slows down for a car to pass.
``I think I'm going to have to get one of those,'' she says.
The other woman stops and jogs in place.
``Yeah, they really come in handy even with just one kid,'' she says, gesturing at the doll.
The dog-walker smiles and points to her toy pooch.
``No, I mean I'm going to need one for my baby AND the dog.''
- Pam Starr
Friday, Sept. 8
6:30 p.m. - Dam Neck Road.
The rear window of a dark green pick-up truck reminds other motorists of what new love is all about. Behind the heads of a young couple are neon green letter stickers, neatly arranged to read ``RANDY'' and ``MY GIRL LUCIA.''
- Holly Wester
Saturday, Sept. 9
5:25 p.m. - Hilltop.
A Dodge Caravan pulls up in front of a bank. Its driver gets out and heads for the walk-up ATM machine. He is wearing a ball cap, T-shirt and shorts. Large letters on the back of the shirt read ``Dress Up To Throw Down'' and then small letters in parentheses ``or up.''
- Charles Meads
Monday, Sept. 11
7:35 p.m. - Virginia Beach School of Dance.
A half-dozen middle school-age girls, dressed in leotards and ballet slippers, wait in the lobby for their parents to pick them up.
With dance bags in hand, the ballerinas are worried because their moms and dads are a few minutes late.
``I bet my mom's next door,'' says a sassy brunette, referring to the neighboring Revco.
``I hate it when my mom goes in there,'' answers another, with a headful of braids neatly pulled up in a ponytail. ``She spends hours looking for a sale.''
``Yeah, mine always says, `Oh, what a bargain','' chides another, mocking her mother.
With their faces glued to the large windows, the group eyeballs the parking lot and switches to other issues of importance for the next few minutes. Pog-collecting, Avon and the latest in Airwalks are among the chosen topics, until each little lady catches a ride home.
- Holly Wester
Tuesday, Sept. 12
6:30 p.m. - North End Beach.
Beach walkers are laughing at an enthusiastic medium-size black dog that's racing down the beach, barking gleefully all the while. The dog chases the shorebirds. She runs into the water with a hugh splash and then out again. She doubles back to check on her master who's jogging well behind her. Yet no matter what she does, she never stops barking.
Her master catches up and explains his dog's wacky behavior. ``She loves to run. She loves chasing birds. She loves the water,'' he says. ``She's in heaven.''
- Mary Reid Barrow ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by L. TODD SPENCER
``Thou shalt buy my book''
Charlton Heston, appearing at the Founders Inn, signed autographs
Tuesday for his new book, an autobiography titled ``In the Arena.''
Other fans had dinner and watched clips of Heston movies, such as
``The Ten Commandments,'' in which Heston played Moses.
by CNB