Old Mr. Chang
It seems to me that songs from my childhood all have locked in memories. I can remember the weather, where I was when I heard the song or who I was with and the smells all around me. There is always some sort of memory that seems to be attached to each and every song growing up; many memories have remained until this day. This one particular song whenever I hear it, it takes me back to that one day when the lyrics of this particular song changed forever in my mind and created for me a video before video were ever made.
That day was a summer day just before school let out for vacation. A few of us kids from Robinson junior high school decided to walk to the usual place everyone went to get a hard roll sandwich and a pickle for lunch. I remember this day being hot as we walked to the store. The heat had me dying of thirst, but back then that meant dying for a coke or a soda of some sort, never water.
The store was owned by a very old, untrusting, cranky, Chinese man named Mr. Chang. My memory of him was he didn't speak much English, but he knew enough to yell at you when he needed and sometimes when it wasn't needed. Plus whenever he did speak a stench of rancid cabbage bellowed out from between his yellow tea stained teeth like fire from a dragon’s mouth, so it was always better when he didn't talk that way you didn't have to smell his bad breath and try to figure out what the hell he was saying to you.
I don't remember any relatives of his, I don't know if I went to school with any of his children or grandchildren, nor did I know anything about him other then he owned a little neighborhood store he lived above and that’s where I would buy my candy or a dill pickle out of a barrel.
He kept to himself, probably due to his lack of command of the English language or the experiences a Chinese man when through living in America during his era. Mainly most of the Chinese families in our neighborhood that I knew, kept to themselves. They preserved their culture by non participation in American culture. Which now is to be admired unlike back then, we never gave it a second thought or at least I didn’t. But I did question from time to time why none of the Chinese children were ever outside playing with us and why we were never ever allowed in their homes, not even for one second.
Mr. Chang had age spots on his face and walked around in slippers all the time. I remember him scuffing in his slippers around the store, always dragging his feet just scuffing back and forth making the same sound sandpaper makes as it scrubs back and forth on wood. Lord knows how old he really was. The fact that he didn't bother to bend his knees when he walked and the way he looked told me had to be at least 100 years old, but back then at my age everyone looked old, if you weren't young like me, you were old.
He was nearly all bald except for a few long hairs he slicked back over the top of his golden colored skull and my memory of him is always wearing a worn out checkered shirt with a navy blue sweater vest with a pair of dark grey slacks with his slippers. He never trusted anyone that I recall, he was always afraid someone was going to steal something from him. So needless to say he was a bit more on his guard when 5 of us kids loudly entered into his store wanting candy, pickles, sodas and sandwiches all at once. This must have been overload and heart attack time for him.
Usually he stood behind his counter and waited until you spoke to him. Never a “Hello” or “how are you” can I ever recall hearing from him, but back then he was the candy man and I didn't care about the greetings. He waited for you to make your selection and quickly leave his store, his body language did not encourage friendship or petty conversations, just BUY & LEAVE!
He had all the candy behind his counter where it was safe, so if anyone wanted any, they would have to request which one they wanted. Sometimes he would let you come in back of the counter with him to look and make your decisions on which ones you wanted. Sometimes if you already knew you would just tell him, “hey give me a box of Chocolate babies and some neccos, a cherry charm sucker, 5 pieces of bubble gum” or whatever which ones you desired. He would then reach over retrieve your candy then plop it on the counter uttering the amount owed in his thick Chinese accent that sometimes resembled Elmer Fud. “Fiddy tence puezzz" or "rank roo" after we gave him our money!”
On this one day, it was Christina Ponce, Fred Williams, Neil Veavea, Clifford Bevels and I. The boys were having fun as most males would in the company of girls, trying hard to impress us, so they were acting up more tthanusual and competing for the alpha male position.
This one particular day Mr. Chang was way more nervous than usual, probably due to the fact that he had the Mod Squad and backup in his store, all at one time. There were, two black teen boys, one massive male Samoan, a Mexican and a white female. All teenagers full of energy ready to rob him blind and kill him I'm sure he thought. To this nearly 100 year old ancient Chinese man; this was a disastrous combination just waiting for some trouble to erupt. He was nervous and snippety with the boys; they took full advantage of their male instinct sensing his fear they teased Mr. Chang more than they would have, had they been there alone.
Clifford Bevels begged Mr.Chang to allow him to come behind the counter to pick out a candy of his choice, like he had done to me nearly every single day of my young life. Mr. Chang was not having it at all. Clifford begged, Clifford pleated, but Mr.Chang repeated NO NO NO! Once again Clifford moaned “C’mon Mr. Chang let me look so I can see what candy I want” But Mr.Chang ignored him as he kept a careful, watchful eye on all of us and where our hands were at all times.
Fred Williams was laughing so hard, but at the same time he was teasing Clifford and egging him on. Fred provide the moral back up courage for Clifford while the rest of us were Cliffords cheerleaders. We all were laughing by this time because it was so obvious Mr.Chang was scared. I never seen him like this and it seem to all of us like he thought he was going to be robbed by these black teen boys or gang of teens in his store, just like in the movies I'm sure he watched on TV. He was nearly at the point of kicking all of us out of the store, you could see his fury in the tiny slots of his eyes and his facial expressions. Fred Williams was all the while in the background yucking it up and the rest of us looking on in disbelief on his stance to not better serve us by allowing Clifford a chance to go behind the counter and pick what he wanted to buy.
Mr.Chang was as ready as Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid, ready to whip out some martial arts moves on us all. Clifford begged one last time. “C’MON CHANG, LET ME LOOK MAN, C’MON FOOL let me just look once real quick man!” Fred was bellowing laughter, snorting and bending over laughing upon hearing Clifford calling Mr. Chang a Fool. “NO!” Mr. Chang shouted back “NO NO NO!” That’s when Clifford busted out in a song that had us all laughing and too this day
Chang’s a Fool
Chang Chang Chang
Chang’s a fool
Chang Chang Chang ya ya ya ya yang
Chang’s a fool
I can not hear the original version “Chain of Fools" sung by Aretha Franklin without thinking back to this day, the day this song was re-written and sung by Clifford Bevels especially for Mr. Chang.
