TEXAS TORNADO HITS GRABALL

***** Graball is a wide place in the road less than 2 miles south of Milan on Highway 45. Back in the day, Graball consisted of about 10 houses , a battery shop, a tractor dealership,an Esso service station ,& a roadside cafe .

Graball is not as bad a place as the name sounds . The Bugg family owned as far as they could see ,which was more than all Graball.

In around 1966 ,a family of Mexicans moved in . The Rodriguez family took over the White House Cafe . Now this is long before we heard tell of Taco Bell . Tacos & tamales were unknown to us .
.

Graball had the only Mexican restaurant between Memphis & Nashville All of this new food & great eating was now presented to us . It was new & wonderful .

But the real attraction of the White House was the Rodriguez daughter who was the waitress at the joint .

Arletia Rodriguez was so pretty it would make your eyes blur . By the time she arrived in Graball she had already broke more hearts than New York City has lights . She is the one who put the Panic in Hispanic !


Jimmy Buffett was singing about Arletia when he sang : " She's a real beauty , a Mexican cutie ,how she got here I haven't a clue".

I would guess Arletia as between 16 to 19 . She did not do school . She played to full houses daily at the White House .

Watching Arletia prance across the room balancing 4 plates was more exciting than the Flying Wallendas on that tightrope .

Oh Me , The old men came to remember , & the young men came to dream . I was a daily customer myself . I developed a love for tacos & tamales & became an awesome tipper .

Every year when the new models came out Arletia got a new blue Chebbie convertible.

After about 4 years Arletia moved back to Texas . Grief counselors had to work over time in Gibson county . Some never recovered .

What I wouldn't give to have Arletia bring me a Deluxe plate of tacos & tamales . I would ask her to bring it real slow .

Arletia is back in Texas ,I think married to that guy that just started the restaurant chain The Happy Mexican .

I bet where ever she is she is driving a new blue Chebbie . ROLL ON ARLETIA !!