I thought Poppa Leslie had made my day just by being there,

parked on Granby St., his old blue pick-up truck weighed down with some of the more succulent watermelons you’ll ever see.

Green in the city.

But it was when I was leaving that he really made my day. I had just finished talking to him and some of his customers, and I was on my bike, starting to head down the street. Poppa Leslie hustled after me– as fast an 83-year-old man with a cane and wearing sandals (with socks) can hustle. He’d neglected to tell me something of the utmost importance.

“Don’t forget my wife’s in this thing too,” he said, pointing to where his and his wife Jo Ann’s names are hand-scrawled on the back of his truck.

That was it. He just wanted to make sure I mentioned his wife in the story.

***

“Poppa” Leslie Pierce has been selling fruits and vegetables out of the back of his truck for 30 years. His farm, Home Boy’s Melon Farm, is down in Gates County, North Carolina. He tries to come through Norfolk every Tuesday and Friday morning, stopping at City Hall at 8 and Granby St. just north of Freemason at 9.

“People are so kind to me, so nice to me,” he said. “They’re friends that buy from me.”

Dee Vann has been buying fresh fruit and veg from Poppa Leslie for ten years.

“He flirts with all the ladies,” she said, shaking her head and smiling wide. “He’s always has something sweet to say to all the ladies.”

Ahhh.

Dee lost track of Poppa Leslie for a little while when she moved offices from City Hall. Poppa Leslie asked around and found her, and started making his stop on Granby.

“I love the cantaloupe and the seedless watermelon,” she said. “Gives you the chills. I love the Lima beans too. I just put them in the crock pot and let them simmer. He tells me, ‘Put a little fat back in them. Don’t mess with my Lima beans.’”

A crowd gathered quickly this morning, with workers spilling out of the municipal building on Granby. Margaret Searcy, a program analyst for the city, even borrowed the office mail cart to haul the fruit back inside.

“It’s actually fresh,” said Yan Ping, who also works in the municipal building. “It’s not just buying something… It feels… kinda happy, working straight with the farmer.”

Watermelons cost $1- $3, depending on their size. Cucumbers and peaches are three for $1. Poppa Leslie also tries to make stops in Portsmouth, near his wife, who works at the shipyard there. The Pierces have been married 28 years. They have seven grown children.

“They’re all over hell and half of Georgia,” Poppa Leslie said, his frail blues twinkling.

Poppa Leslie said that he has a grower’s permit, which was free. He said the police are always nice to him. Everyone gathered around the truck felt instantly like family. The Watermelon Clan, we were.

“It’s just different, refreshing,” said Margaret as she gathered her cart to roll back to the office. “I wish there was more people doing this.”

A few more shots…

Baby blues.

Dee and her man.

Mail carts with melons.