New Year’s in the Simons Brickyard

New Year’s Eve in Simons would find the Brick People eating left-over Christmas tamales, and washing them down with shots of tequila, those that couldn’t afford tequila would do so with cheap wine. As the sun would begin to set over the brickyard the men would light-up fires to gather around and play their lidas (guitars) and sing old Mexican songs. Their ladies in a joyful mood would soon join them. The men usually built the fires in their backyards. And with the promise of better times to come with the new-year the men would sing romantic songs to their wives/girlfriends. Every now and then a guy would be singing too romantic to somebody else’s wife or girlfriend and a fight would break out, only to end up with the two guys hugging each other as only compa’s could. As the clock was nearing the midnight hour the teenage couples would disappeared into the cornfields, and as they were doing so the old people would bring their guns out. As the clock struck 12 with gun shots in the background the dancing, hugging and kissing would start and wouldn’t end till sun-up. The men without TVs to watch the Rose Parade, or the Rose Bowl games in those cold 1940s winters would spend New Year’s Day around the fires and talking about their plans for the new-year, as they talk a bottle or two would be passed around, a drink just to keep warm they would say. In a day or so the festivities would come to an end and it was time to go back to work making bricks.