I’m no expert in the Noir Detective but the cliché often involves a dark stormy night, a pretty lady that gets the protagonist into hot water with some thugs and a little gun play. When the cliché becomes reality, things can get spicy.

Not long ago, a friend brought out a pistol to show me. He’s in his seventies and has had an interesting life. Growing up in the Chicago area in the 1950’s, one is left to speculate. While this was an era that was post Capone and Dillinger, his mom and stepfather lived during those times. That his stepfather was involved in the Teamsters likely played a role in my friend’s life. It also played a role in my friend’s mother’s life as the pistol he showed me had belonged to her.

As a kid, my friend admits he didn’t know everything about what was truly going on, but he remembers times when things got a little nervy. Little did he know then that his mom was packing heat in her purse. Since the Astra 2000 was made from the 1950’s into the 1990’s, he supposes that she may have had something different prior to this Astra 22 short, though he doesn’t know what that may have been.

Dark stormy night. Pretty lady. Thugs and guns. It all has the makings of trouble, but one lady had the comfort of a small vest pocket pistol to care for herself and her children. It may be the same today.