ROTTEN TOMATOES

ROTTEN TOMATOES

    Happy Halloween

If recollection serves me, it was Halloween Eve in 1960 when I went along with my two older brothers on my first adventure of Halloween mischief.  Only eight years old, not sure how and why I was allowed as I hardly ever was included in their adventures.  I was the look-out. 

Meriline Avenue was a sleepy little street with lots of homes spaced closely together.  Like most neighborhoods back then, ours was fairly close-knit and everyone living on the street knew the Brown Boys.  We were an active bunch and we had parents who allowed us to be boys.  That meant that we could get dirty playing outside.  Not all the kids on the block were allowed such freedom. 

Every neighborhood has one and Meriline Avenue was no exception.  Grumpy old men who forgot long ago what it was like to be a young man wanting to have fun and looking for ways to express it.  Our neighborhood had such a man and his name was Mr. Webb.  Unfortunately for the Brown Boys, he lived only two houses down from ours.  Mr. Webb was always put out by the loud and active behavior coming from two houses up from his.  Basketball playing all hours of the day and long into the evening. 

Our backyard was a basketball court and everyone played, even Mom sometimes.  She always reminded us of her glory days at Ohio Northern University.  She would tell us how she was always pushed toward the foul line when one of her teammates was fouled.  She was a very good free-throw shooter.  Mr. Webb would complain loudly to the father of the Brown Boys about the basketball playing and all the activity that would be going on in our backyard.  Dad listened but also recognized that his boys were not doing any harm.  He would only remind us to try our best not to let the basketball go over into Mr. Webb's yard.  Mr. Webb didn't like that.  I can remember my brothers being pretty annoyed with Mr. Webb and his continual complaints to Dad.  That's what made Mr. Webb a good target at Halloween time. 

I was putting together my costume for Halloween when I overheard Jim and Bob, my older brothers, scheming about their planned attack on Mr. Webb's house.  I was always dressing up as a hobo, a popular costume for a young boy who didn't have all the options of dress-up that kids have today.  Now that I remember, I'm pretty sure I was only allowed to participate in the adventure because I overheard their planning.  Otherwise, I'm sure I would have been left behind. 

Jim made it clear to me that I was to stay near the street with a clear vision of both sides of Mr. Webb's house.  He and Bob had the soap and they would be soaping his windows that were on either side of the front door.  I was encouraged to throw feed corn at the house once they were done soaping the windows.  Sure enough, Jim and Bob made their way onto Mr. Webb's porch and started soaping the windows.  I think they were using Ivory Soap which was my Mom's preferred product. 

Everything was going as planned until a deep, dark voice boomed out, "having fun there, Jim".  Jim thought it was his brother Bob who was speaking to him.  He was wrong.  Grumpy old Mr. Webb had sneaked around his house without me seeing him.  Mr. Webb started throwing rotten tomatoes at Jim and Bob and all three of us ran away defeated and waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

As it turned out, Mr. Webb didn't report the news to Dad as Jim and Bob beat him to the punch.  Needless to say, the Brown Boys had to do some cleaning up.  For me, it was a great Halloween as I still got to go trick or treating the next night and for one night, I was along on a great adventure with my two big brothers.