Tough Old Men

This is based on a true story as told to me by my uncle Herbert Jenkins, a retired WW2 veteran and former POW. I was 17 and we were sitting on his front porch in Kensington PA. He allowed me to drink a beer and he was illuminated by some very fine cognac as he relayed his story. The following account took place probably around 1980.






It was 5:45 am as the man slowly walked down the darkened sidewalk to the stairs of the train station. Up ahead he saw the sign that pointed out the station and quickened his pace. He carried a heavy brown leather suitcase with a worn handle. He was on his way to see his only daughter and grandkids. Usually his daughter would drive from her house to meet him, but at the last minute she was forced to work a double shift at the hospital where she was a nurse. Even though he hadn’t been on a train since the army he told his daughter he would gladly take the train instead of her making the long drive to the city.

At the bottom of the stairway that led to the train station he paused and looked upward. He had not counted on there being so many stairs and did not look forward to the climb. He was sixty four years old but still very strong, especially his upper body. His hair hardly showed any gray and his legs were still thick with muscle even though his knees ached daily with arthritis. He wore black plastic framed glasses. He used to wear them just to read but now he relied upon them. He wore a dark canvas jacket with a blue striped button down dress shirt. It was old but pressed and clean. His pants were dark gray and they went well with his black loafers.

There were people walking up and down the stairs around him. Mostly blacks some Puerto Ricans, very few white faces. He did not care much about race. He kept his own company. He accepted long ago that the neighborhood where he grew up had changed.

Looking at the flight of stairs he began his ascent. As he climbed his nostrils were assaulted by a strong pungent odor. The old man looked toward the other side of the staircase and saw what looked like old urine stains. People walked over them not giving them a second glance. He made a mental note to watch where he put his feet. Upon reaching the top he found himself in front of several metal kiosks and slightly out of breath. Placing his suitcase down for a moment he surveyed the rest of the station. It was very well lit by huge florescent lights which dangled from the ceiling. It was also far more crowded up here than it was on the sidewalk below.

Looking over at the kiosks again he felt a slightly agitated. He was not really sure how they worked. He knew they were used to purchase tickets but had no idea how to operate them. Unbeknownst to him this particular train station did not employ people to sell tickets. Employees were there to sweep floors and maybe assist with luggage. The only way to buy a ticket at this particular station was via the electronic ticket kiosks.

Staring at the kiosks he became annoyed with himself. Not only did he not know how to operate the kiosks he had also neglected to check the cost of the ticket before leaving. He needed to travel from Center City PA to Lancaster PA. The old man had a total of $ 65.00 dollars in bills, some change and one credit card. Now he wasn’t sure he had enough cash to purchase the ticket. His credit card was always an option but he disliked using them preferring to pay with cash.

He stared at the kiosks for a few more seconds before deciding to back away and have a look around the station. Perhaps he would find someone to assist with purchasing a ticket. He walked toward a random boarding platform and stood there for a moment. As he stood there a heavyset woman pushed by him muttering to herself and passed gas loudly. The old man was tempted to boot her in her full sized ass but instead turned and walked back to the kiosks.

As he walked he spied a man in a railroad uniform walking ahead of him. Jostling through the crowd the old man caught up to the uniformed employee and asked “excuse me sir, I’m trying to get to Lancaster and I haven’t ever used one of those new ticket dispensers. Think you could help?” The employee stared at the old man as if he were a bug then pointed in the direction of the kiosks and rudely said. “Put ya money in the slot and punch in where you want to go.” The employee sighed and shook his head slightly as if he was terribly inconvenienced by the old man then walked away not once looking back. The old man stood there embarrassed as he watched the employee walk away. Shrugging off his embarrassment the old man looked down at his wrist watch. Fearing that if he wasted anymore time looking for someone to help he would surely miss his train. Deciding to try and figure things out for himself, he walked backed to the kiosks.


When he arrived, there was a young man attired in the same railroad uniform as the other employee. The young man was leaning up against the wall with one foot propped up on a bench devouring a sandwich. The old man hesitantly approached the younger man not wanting to interrupt his meal and asked. “Hey bub, do you mind helping me out? I’ve never used these new ticket things before and…I could use some help if you don’t mind?” The young man stuffed the rest of the sandwich in his mouth and wiped his hands on his pants. The young man smiled showing off small bits of bread stuck between his teeth and said “Why absolutely sir, not a problem, where do you want to go? “ The old man said “I was trying to catch the next train to Lancaster. I’m worried I m going to miss it.” The younger man with his mouth still full of sandwich said “Not to worry. I think you have plenty of time.” Looking up at the train schedule on the wall the young man said “Ok, Lancaster huh? Let’s see. Ok sir, the next train for Lancaster leaves at 7:45, looks like you got plenty of time. “The old man smiled and put out his hand for the younger man to shake and asked “Thanks a lot. How much do I owe you bub? “ The young man gripped the old mans hand and said “Oh not a problem sir a one way ticket will be 28.50, round trip will cost you 51.25.” The older man handed him $60.00 in bills and the young employee helped him buy the ticket. “Here you go sir.” said the young man handing the old man his tickets and his change. Then pointed out where the train would arrive. They shook hands once more before the old man placed the tickets inside his jacket pocket and advanced through the crowd which had now grown thrice.

At the platform the old man stood there waiting for 7:45 to arrive, wishing he had a cup of coffee. It had been a while since he had taken a trip alone and the feeling of excitement he had when he woke up was quite the energizer. He had not even considered brewing any coffee. He wanted to be out of the house and on his way. He recalled seeing a small news stand that was on the other side of the station. Hoping they sold coffee he began to walk toward the news stand. Taking a quick peek at his watch he saw that he would have plenty of time to get a cup and return to the platform with time to spare. At the news stand he discovered that they indeed sold coffee and took his place in line. When it was his turn he ordered a large black coffee and asked for a lid. Now in the company of a large Styrofoam cup filled with steaming hot coffee he walked away and stood by a large concrete pillar. Placing his suitcase on the ground between his legs he began to sip at the hot drink. The caffeine hit his system at once. Feeling rejuvenated he took another look at the crowd wondered how many of them would be on his train.

As he sipped and watched the crowd he thought about how much his neighborhood had changed. As a young man in this neighborhood you would never see a dark face in this neighborhood or urine stains in a train station stairwell for that matter. It didn’t bother him too much. It just made him realize he was getting older. He continued to reminisce and sip at his coffee enjoying the burn on the tip of his tongue. When the cup was almost empty he felt the need to use the men’s room. He considered waiting until he was on board the train to use the restroom however at his age when he had to go, he didn’t dispute it. Glancing around for the restroom he spied two doors to the left of the news stand where he purchased his coffee. One marked with a stick figure of a female and the other a male. Tossing the cup in a nearby trash can he retrieved his suitcase and walked directly to the appropriate door.


What the old man failed to notice on his way to the restroom were the three young men that had been watching him since he made his way up the stairs. What the three young men failed to notice was a man although old, had seen more than his fair share of battle. The young men failed to see the former Special Forces officer that during world war two had been captured by the Germans, thrown into a prison camp, but along with a few other American soldiers were able to escape. All they saw was an old man who appeared an easy mark. As the old man disappeared through the restroom door the three young thugs followed.

The old man opened the restroom door and entered a small humid room that held a terrible stench that hit him hard in his nostrils. The walls were covered in graffiti and the lighting was poor. On one side of the room were the toilets and urinals. On the opposite wall the sinks. The old man remembering the urine stains in the stairwell carefully walked up to one of the urinals and hesitated. He looked at the stained cement floor. He didn’t want to put his case on the dirty floor but didn’t want to leave it atop the sinks either. Someone could just grab it and run. Choosing what he felt was the lesser of the two evils he placed the case on the ground next to him. Unzipping his fly he proceeded to relieve himself. As he was finishing he heard the door open behind him accompanied by whispering voices. He zipped up quickly was about to retrieve his suitcase when he noticed a young man standing to his right. In the young man’s hand was a small blade. The old man felt his heart race and turned slightly to get a better view as the young man said “hey pops got a cigarette man?” The old man turned around completely and saw that there were a total of three young men eyeing him hard. The old man stared at each one allowing his eyes to rest upon the man who had the knife. The old man knew what was about to happen. Other than his heart beating hard he felt no fear nor did he entertain thoughts of trying to run.

Continuing to hold the young mans stare the old man calmly replied “Nope…don’t smoke. “ The young man laughed and said. “Well, I think we are gonna have to go through your pockets ok pops?” The old man never taking his eyes off the man simply responded “yeah? Are you?” Then quickly reached down and grabbed his suitcase by the sides and thrust it as hard as he could into the chin of the thug. The corner of the suitcase caught the thug directly under the chin causing him to drop the knife and forcing his mouth to snap shut with an audible snap. The old man quickly kicked the knife into a corner as the thug hit the floor.


The other two would be muggers couldn’t get out of each other’s way fast enough to get out of there. The old man watched them run out of the restroom then re focused his attention on the thug on the ground who was trying to get up mumbling something that sounded like “gonna kill you old man.” Upon hearing those words the old kicked him the chest as hard as he could causing the thug to slam backwards on the dirty concrete. The old man angry now, kicked him again in the chest and once in the chin.

The thug groaned and tried to cover his head with his hands. The old man bent and grabbed a handful of the thug’s oily hair and dragged him toward one of the dirty toilet stalls. As the old man dragged him across the cold concrete the thug cried out “I’m ssssoory man, I’m sorry man ahhhh pleeeease we didn’t mean to sir, please, lemme go…its cool ok man.” The old man ignored him and continued pulling the man across the floor. The young man realizing begging wasn’t going to work tried biting the old man on the leg. The old man still gripping the thug by his hair jerked his head back and backhanded him across the face until the thug went limp and began crying. Still ignoring the young mans cries the old man continued dragging him until both men were inside one of the filthy stalls. Using both hands the old man hoisted the failed mugger into a semi-seated position. The old man grabbed him by the shirt and bent over until his face was inches away from the thug. The old man could smell the thug’s sour breath along with his unwashed essence and it turned his stomach. Looking into the thugs eyes he grabbed the young mans hair he shook him hard and said. “You messed with me didn’t you? You messed with me, so now I’m gonna mess with you.”

The thug continued to beg for freedom but the old man paid him no mind. He grabbed the thug’s hair and the collar of his shirt at the same time and held fast. He banged the young man’s head against the stained toilet bowl. The thug howled and cried out “Please! Please let me go I’m sorry please.” Disregarding the plea for mercy the old man lifted the thug by his hair and shoved his entire head into the disgusting toilet bowl. The thug began to thrash and kick splashing water all over the already filthy floor and the old mans shoes. The old man silently counted to three before he relented and allowed the thug to come up for air.

The old man then shoved him back against the metal wall that divided the stalls. With his face now streaming tears and toilet water the thug stared in horror at the old man. The old man stared back, unblinking and without heart. Grabbing the thugs jacket the old man shook him back and forth like an insane parent shakes a savage child. Then putting his face close to the thugs face the old man said “think about it next time bub eh? “ The old man let go of thug who collapsed weeping on the filthy bathroom floor. The old man wiped his hands on the thug’s jacket and left him lying in a puddle of tears and filthy toilet water. The old man grabbed his broken suitcase and walked quickly to the door.

With his suitcase tucked under his arm he opened the door with his other hand and stepped into what felt like another world. The station was just as busy as before and there was no sign of the other two muggers. A large silver train was waiting at the platform where the old man had been waiting earlier. Walking quickly to the platform he glanced at his watch. It read 7:41 am. A voice boomed over a loudspeaker announcing the departure for Lancaster PA and other locales. Seeing a crowd of people boarding the train the old man quickened his pace and after showing his ticket to one of the conductors boarded the train.


He found a seat towards the rear of the train and looked out the window. Nothing had changed on the platform and no one seemed to be looking for an old world war two veteran who had just danced with the devil and beaten him fairly.