A FAVORITE TOY? JUNE 23, 2014
In my Amherst Method writing class with the Coach, Tammy, this last Friday, we drew the subject to write about, and it was “did you have a favorite toy when you were little, and did you save it throughout the years?” Then we had 10 minutes to write the story. There were 8 of us writing, and it was all quiet while we wrote our little hearts out.
At the end of the allotted time, we read aloud what we had written, with so many varied takes on the subject. Mine went something like this: Well, I never had a bicycle, and perhaps you will remember that I had to deck Lennie Tanner to take his new football away from him. I had begged Santa at the Strauss General Store for either a bicycle or a football. All to no avail. Santa was always pushing dolls. Those helpers of his had a penchant for dolls, I guess. Naturally, my Mom made me give the football back to Lennie when Mrs. Tanner came knocking at our front door — I was hiding out under my bed. And a tearful, whimpering Lennie was hanging on to his Mom’s dress. My Mom yelled for me to come out from wherever I was, and the football was gone from me after about 15 minutes in my possession, almost entirely spent under the bed. I didn’t even get a chance to toss it in the air just once and retrieve it. And Lennie, what a wimp, using his mother to fight his battles. How ignominious!
So what did I have in the way of a dear, dear toy to love and adore, and drag it along through life? Absolutely nada. Those dolls just did not cut it for me. I did not have the perfect life that everyone thinks I had, having everything I ever wanted. The bike and the football were my first and foremost number one wishes. And neither one made it under the Christmas tree.
Today, I feel very cheated.
MELITAS FORSTER MONDAYS WITH MELITAS
PS. THE PICTURE WITH VIV AND ME & DOLLS WAS TAKEN UNDER MUCH DURESS. They had to practically beat me with a 2 x 4, and take food away from me for days on end.
