If you have ever walked along 13th Street and Jefferson, you probably saw the lemon tree standing inside the walled back yard of the Immaculate Conception Church Cathedral.
It is one of the many trees that grace the church yard and when it blooms (as it is now) its white blossoms fall on the sidewalk. It is one of those trees that bear fruit more than once a year. In fact, it given lemons the year round.I discovered the tree by circumstance because just across the alley on the south side of the church a man we knew only as Señor Limon moved the Movida Bar (now La Movidita under the new owner Letty) from Market Square to the new site on Admas.
Limon, as we all called him. was a bit of a tightwad. He made his dollars selling Natural Light at $1 a can. Needless to say, some of the more scurvy characters hung out in the joint along with the old timers who like to listen to Los Alegres de Teran and other purveyors of los corridos, including Tony Aguilar and even Beto Quintanilla.
This who preferred canned beer would always ask for slice of lime or lemon and sprinkled a bit of salt to neutralize their brew. Invariably, Limon was out of lemons or would "forget" to buy for the bar.
Sometimes as they made their way to the watering hole, the customers would pick up some lemons and bring them with them to La Movida because they knew Limon would "forget" to buy any at the store. Eve just shaking the trunk would yield a few ripe ones that would fall to the ground.
Well, we have some sad news relay to La Movodita customers. Limon's tree at the cathedral split in half as a result of the strong winds that blew last week. We don't know what the priests and lay brothers at the church are going to do with it. Perhaps a good pruning is in order. Or perhaps one side of the tree will be cut.
Limon died last year after a short illness and his family passed on the bar to Letty. That tree will always remind us of Señor Limon and it would be sad it if was totally cut down.
3 comments:
What about telling some stores about Brownsville people that did something with their lives other that stealing lemons or selling over priced can beer to bar flies? Are these folks the role models for the children of Browntown? Surly Brownsville has something other than crooked politicians and bar flies. Surely?
Anon @11:16, these stories show what Brownsville is composed of- so many different backgrounds and interesting bar stories. This story, along with others published here, show true colors and characters, connect the reader to the day to day of the average joe. This is not the morally upright feel good bullshit sold by those in power here to bring rich whites to Brownsville. Viva la raza, cabron!
Right Brownsville has a starbucks.
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