Welcome to Newtonberg by David Emprimo

Author:David Emprimo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: texas, short stories, small towns, anthologies, collections

HOMECOMING ‘77

It was somewhere around the third round of drinks that everyone started talking about old Coach Franklin and the Homecoming game of 1977. It had been the regular crowd – Big Tom Wallace, Rick Murchison, Gene Young, Mayor Al Thompson, and the rest. Even Mike Baldridge, the librarian was there, although he had sworn off alcohol after Founder’s Day and just sat nursing a soda. They’d all come in about 8:00 or so. It was a usual Saturday night ritual: once the kids were in bed, they’d all meet down at Cliff’s Tavern for a few rounds of beer and a little town history.

Of course, the conversations never started out to be about the town. But in Newtonberg, every conversation has a way of working itself into being about the town, whether it started off that way or not. You could be talking about the Great Wall of China, or Pluto, or even the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, and before it was over, it would focus on Newtonberg, or someone in Newtonberg, or someone from Newtonberg.

So, when the topic turned to football, the subject inevitably got back around to Newtonberg High School and the memorable games of the past. Everyone was debating which was the greatest. All the people who were born and raised in Newtonberg all had their personal stories of triumph on the gridiron. Al Thompson, however, insisted that the Homecoming game of 1977 left all the other games behind.

Rick Murchison, who had only moved to Newtonberg about 1985, had never heard about it. Everyone seemed genuinely shocked at this admission. There was only one thing to do.

Al Thompson called out, “Cliff, why don’t you tell us about the Homecoming game of 1977?”

Cliff pulled himself a mug of beer, took the cloth from off his shoulder, set it down, walked around the bar and sat down on a barstool facing the group. As a bartender, Cliff had heard just about every story concerning the town and its inhabitants; some of them four or five times. He was a font of local knowledge. Michael Baldridge, the city librarian, had interviewed him extensively while compiling the Newtonberg history book.

“Let’s see... 1977... that would have been when old Coach Franklin was here, right?” He thoughtfully stroked his chin, over-exaggerating. He knew it was. And so did the regulars.

“Right. 1977. September 1977 to be exact. That was just five years after the school was opened. Allen Franklin was the football coach.

“To tell the whole story, you have to understand something about Newtonberg High School back then. The school had just been founded in 1972...”

“...mainly due to my wife,” interrupted Mayor Thompson.

“...Ahem....yes, mainly due to the efforts of Gladys Thompson. Credit where credit is due. Anyway, the school was new, and under-funded, so most of the teachers had to pull double-duty. There were no free periods back then when the teachers didn’t have a class. You were either teaching one subject or another. The Math teacher also taught Science. The History teacher taught English.

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