A SUIT FOR MELVIN

Had J.J. Baskin lived at the same time as Tom Sawyer, they may well have been best friends or perhaps worst enemies, at least competitors.
J.J., 13, lives with his grandmother over a drug store in a small Missouri town in1957. He may never have whitewashed a fence, but he’s a relatively successful business boy. While his grandmother works at the hotel and school’s out, he roams free.
J.J. goes door-to-door in the fanciest neighborhoods, selling cocktail wieners and artichoke hearts to homemakers in addition to coming up with other clever money-making enterprises. The parents of his friends don’t find all his ideas socially acceptable.
J.J. might have been known to “borrow” the sheriff’s car, but other selfless actions expose a heart of gold. He sets out to help a friend find the proper clothes so they can attend their first formal dance.
J.J. might just live the simpler life many people today say they miss, but he pays for it with struggles and tears.
If he only knew what J.J. stands for and who his parents are.
Any similarities between this story and real people, living or dead, are purely coincidental.