We've touch on the subject"Life in the Fishbowl", but it wasn't only our immediate family that was under constant scrutiny. Anyone who was a regular patron, an employee of Fred's News or for any other reason, came into the place...you were swimming for your life in the fishbowl. It didn't necessarily mean a hostile, negative environment, it can be quite comforting knowing there are bigger fish with bigger issues. You know the "we are all in the same boat", it just so happened, this boat tipped over into the fishbowl known as Fred's News.
Just the name Fred's News gives a hint of the talk of the day. Newspapers were delivered every morning at Fred's. The early risers, were the keepers of the news. They enjoyed letting everyone know what was the news, who was in the news and where the news was happening. As a child, Memere always read the local newspaper's obituary page first. "Got to see who died, anybody I know or family of anybody I know." She'd then give me a quick smile and say "making sure I'm not there!" Basically that says it all. People want to be the first to know...EVERYTHING! There again it's not a bad thing. Patrons always wanted to be able to comfort someone who had suffered the loss of a loved one, an accident that might of injured a patron or there family. Case in point: Max, a regular at Fred's for years, enjoyed celebrating his October 1st birthday, either by taking a trip to Atlantic City or visiting the local casino with his Dad. He totally enjoyed each and every birthday. We always made a big thing out of that day, Max loved it. Sadly, a few years ago he and his Dad were heading to the casino for just such a celebration. A devastating accident happened, although Max was injured, he recovered. His Dad was killed instantly. All this happened on Max's birthday. As friends, we rallied around Max, as did all of his Fred's News buddies. They helped Max through his sorrow, all were concerned and offered comfort. Life in the fishbowl helped Max grieve.
On the flip side..it too can be brutal. A patron's son was listed in the paper under the police reports. Although a minor offense, the keepers of the news read it first. After I placed a huge guilt trip on them, they never said anything, but the patron knew EVERYONE had read the news. It is times like that, the fishbowl becomes somewhat murky. Matthew R., one of our long time employees, was a rip. His driving record was..well let's just say it was, undesirable. It had gotten to the point, he'd announce any speeding tickets or accidents he had during the week, just to shut up those who were waiting to pounce. That boy had such a way with words, everybody loved him and yes, Matt swam in the fishbowl! Ironically, his Dad would lunch at Fred's News on a regular basis. People would question him, "What did Matt hit this week?" Better yet "Are we going to read about Matt this week in the paper?" For all the minor mishaps that boy had....it never made the papers. He'd let everyone know...just in case!
Actually, you didn't even have to be a regular to be in the fishbowl. Just show up, be friendly, keep everyone guessing...yep, you were in the fishbowl. I do believe it was that sense of mystery that made the waters of the fishbowl very interesting.
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