The Chocy Frog Campaign

Mr Campbell ran the corner news agency when I was a child, he and his wife were a lovely couple who worked there together in the shop. They were an older couple, Mr Campbell was softly spoken, wore a tweed cardigan and grey trousers. Mrs Campbell was a stout woman with yellow waved hair and big framed glasses that had a silver chain hanging from each side. She wore floral patterned dresses that stretched over her ample cleavage...

I would be sent down the street to the shopping center  (Charlie Carters)when I was young each weekend to fetch the weekend newspaper. (This was before the paper started being delivered).

I remember skipping into the news agency, flicking through the magazines, inspecting the assorted novelties that adorned the walls and then single handily going through all the erasers and sniffing them to see which one had the strongest bubblegum scent.

I would eventually come to the counter, smile up at Mr Campbell and asked for the paper, hand over the coinage, and take the paper, folding  it neatly under my arm.

Mr Campbell would look down at me, peering over his horn rimmed glasses and smile, exposing coffee stained dentures.

“and how are we to day young lady?’ he would say,
“fine thanks” I’d respond with my biggest smile ever, for I knew what was coming fro my efforts.

He’d smile, reach down to the confectionery counter in front of him, pick up a chocy frog and pass it over to my eagerly waiting outstretched hand.

This became a weekend tradition that I followed through on for several years.

This weekend though was different,

This time, I wandered on down to the shops as always, but my sister J came too.

She came into the store with me, and followed me, a little apprehensively to the counter. But just as I went to speak at the counter, she held out her hand, sweetly and placed the coins on the glass top. Mrs Campbell this time smiled handed us the paper and then went about her business serving the next customer. I stood there for a second, a little perplexed. Wondering why this transaction had not gone to plan as it had every over Saturday morning.

Mr Campbell came out of the back room and smiled, but J was already moving away from the counter heading to the door. I quickly stopped her, and asked about the chocy frog, she just shrugged and said maybe they ran out.

Of course as I’m a lover of the chocy frog, (still true to this day) I could not accept that as a reasonable explanation as to why we did not receive what I deemed as our rightful chocy desert.

So after trying in vain to coerce my sis into returning to the counter, I eventually decided it took someone with a stronger determination to make this into a transaction I would be happy with. So I walked confidently back to the counter, put on my biggest smile ever and said. “Hello Mr Campbell, thanks for the paper”

(I could hear my sis sighing behind me)

“Oh yes, hello young lady, “Mr Campbell replied, and graced my outstretched palm with the chocy reward the whole trip had been set around.

“Oh I said,” turning back smiling again, “I brought my sister with me”

He smiled again, and handed me yet another frog,

I returned to my sister handed the loot to her and said.

“See now that’s how it’s done”