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My first drinks of choice were either a Sunrise Orange, Nehi Grape, or NuGrape. When I was a little older, my favorite became Coca-Cola. The one I loved most came in a green-colored, six-and-one-half ounce, thick-glass bottle. Maybe it is just my imagination, or my sentimental nostalgia, but I still believe those tasted better than any other size, shape, or serving of the caramel-colored liquid. It seemed to be a just a bit stronger than the larger-sized ones. When I am asked if another brand will be okay, I answer, “Yes, is Monopoly money okay?”

The bottle itself was almost as much fun as guzzling the drink inside. Back then, the bottom of those bottles had raised letters that told the city and state where it had been bottled. My hometown of Rainsville, Alabama, did not have a bottling plant, but the larger neighboring towns of Scottsboro, Fort Payne, and Albertville, did. The nearest bottling plant to Rainsville was Chavies. I can’t remember a bottling plant ever being there, but I do remember occasionally making the rare discovery of a Coke bottle with Chavies, Alabama, on its bottom. That was almost as thrilling as finding one from some far away place like New Orleans. I probably would have passed out if I had found one from some city like Los Angeles or Chicago! 

We played a game with those old bottles that was called “Pulling Cokes,” or “Pulling Bottles.” You could play with two people or any larger number. Many Coke coolers back then were the chest type. That was the kind my dad had in his store. We didn’t even have to put money in it to get out a drink. We simply raised the lid, reached in and pulled out a bottle. I guess the name of the game came because we pulled out the bottle. Each person playing looked at the bottom of his bottle to see what city was there. We either played “Farthest Away” or “Closest to Home.” Depending on which game we played, if your bottle’s city was the farthest away, or the closest to home, you won. This all had to be played for fun only, because Mama strictly did not allow any shape, form, or fashion of gambling. The gambling part happened when whoever won either had to buy Cokes for everyone else, or everyone else bought his drink. This depended on the rules that had been agreed on, when Mama wasn’t nearby. If we were ever caught “gambling,” we might not be drinking anything stronger than water for the next several days!

Another great thing about those bottles was that they were worth money. If you left with the bottle, a deposit of two cents had to be paid.  If you returned it later, you could get your money back, or trade that bottle for the deposit on another one. We could also earn a little spending money by gathering unbroken bottles from the sides of the roads. Back in those days, prior to the “Keep American Beautiful Campaign,” many people treated the roadsides like a giant garbage can. That’s another story for another time, but this did mean that money, in the shape of glass bottles, lined both sides of the roads just waiting there to be harvested.

Please don’t litter, and by all means, don’t throw away that which has worth. These bodies that we live in do not have a money-back deposit, but they are one of the most valuable possessions we have on earth, other than the soul inside. Please take care of yours and certainly don’t throw it away!