ASSAULT WITH A TOMATO

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CLOVIS REMEMBERED
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Guest Post by Richard Drake

This story is about growing up in Clovis in the early and mid-fifties.  All names are withheld to protect the guilty.

 Growing up in that town at that time was great for those of us who did it.  We did not have T.V. or cell phones or I-pads.  We had “Dragging Main”.  The weekend night activity was getting with your friends and riding up and down Main Street.  You had to have at least six people in the car and more was better especially if we could talk a girl or two to riding with us.  The car would start at Seventh Street and drive all of the way to the Santa Fe Railroad Station at the south end.  A quick U-turn and you were on your way back up Main.  There another U-turn and away we went.  The idea was to wave at the people in every car that you knew.  Of course, we knew everyone and they knew us but we still waved maybe 20-30 times in an evening.  It was great fun.  We laughed and laughed at what I don’t remember.

Occasionally a group of us would gather on the side walk in front of the State Theatre and watched the cars drive by.  We waved at each, of course, and they waved back.  I think we picked that location to see who was coming to see the movie.   We wanted to know who was dating whom first.  It was common knowledge that you had to take a girl to a movie at the State on the first date.  Our strategic location gave us an early indication of every new potential love in our class.

One summer evening one of the guys brought a sack of newly picked tomatoes from someone’s garden.  Taken legally I am certain because that was the kind of people we were.  As I recall there was nothing better to eat than a newly ripened tomato.  So we gathered at that magical spot on one Saturday night, waving at cars and eating tomatoes.

There was this new Cadillac that kept driving by and waving.  The driver did not belong in our perfect picture.   He was definitely older and kept smiling at us. He was not smiling and waving at the other cars.

One of the unnamed tomato eaters threw a tomato and hit the side of the car which then sped off. Ever one thought it was very, very funny until about 30 minutes later when a Clovis Police car drove up and two of the City’s finest strolled up to the group.  They were very direct as most people in Clovis were at that time.  “Which one threw the tomato”?  We were stunned and no one could speak. They kept asking and we kept not talking.  “What tomato? “What car”?  “When”? “Tonight”?  After a while the policemen said everyone is going to the station talk to the Chief.

The tomato eaters gathered outside of the station where they could see the Chief of Police talking to the driver of the vehicle.  Later on, one of the guys, who had been invited to the meeting, filled everyone in on the discussion. The Chief asked the owner what he wanted.  He replied that he wanted charges filed.  “On what grounds”?  The owner replied “assault with a tomato”. We were told that the Chief had trouble keeping from smiling. You must remember that the Chief knew all of the tomato eaters by their first names, probably since the Seventh grade.  After a lengthy discussion, the Chief played King Solomon and decided the proper course of action would be for all of the tomato eaters to clean and polish the car to remove all evidence of a tomato splat.  The owner agreed.

The Chief sat in his office with the driver while the tomato eaters worked and worked.  They polished and polished.  Occasionally, the tomato eaters would look up and the Chief would look at the driver who indicated that more polishing was needed. So on it went until the Chief got tired and the driver indicated he was satisfied.  Off the tomato eaters went as fast as they could.

The next day they heard from the Chief. The group had worked so hard and polished so much that they had rubbed completely though the paint to the primer.   Since the driver had said that he was satisfied, the Chief ended the incident right then.  However, he told everyone that he had better never again see anyone eating tomatoes on Main Street.

Growing up in Clovis was a great that time before television, before cell phones and all of the things that occupy kids today.  We had our friends, Main Street and, of course, sweet ripe tomatoes.


 Richard Drake, CHS Class of '53
Guest Writer for MIL'S PLACE