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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

A gift


My first memory is the day I told my first lie.

It was my third birthday and, as only the second grandchild born, I was a little bit spoiled in having all my aunts, uncles, parents and sister gathered together at my Nana’s house to celebrate.

What I wanted was a truck, a gloriously heavy yellow metal Tonka dump-trunk like my sister had, large enough for a small child to sit in. I was not allowed to sit in hers. What I got was a blonde doll who you fed water to with a bottle... and then you would sit the doll on a pink, plastic potty where... well, you get the idea.

I remember the moment unwrapping it, I remember the disgust I felt when I figured out its very limited purpose... and I remember the brilliant smile on my Nana’s face, so excited was she that I had opened her gift first.

My first memory is the day I told my first lie. Somewhere in a photo album, there is a picture of me with my Nana, my tiny face twisted by the new and unfamiliar desire to please someone other than myself. And though I hated that doll and never played with it, I can clearly remember that ugly, pink plastic potty.

I remember those Tonka trucks. My brother had one. Really like this piece.

5 comments:

1000th.monkey said...

Thanks! ...and it's 100% true :)

Huntress said...

I don't know whether to laugh or go 'ahhhh'.

All I wanted was a pogo stick. Fortunately, I never got it.

Love this.

Angela Brown said...

Well, um...hmmm. I feel like giving you a hug and telling you you were a champ for taking one for the team...Team "I want a Tonka".

I'm interested in knowing but a little afraid to ask, whatever happened to little miss Sip N Wet?

1000th.monkey said...

@ Huntress

What can I say, I wasn't a girl who played with dolls :)

...but now you can buy your own pogo stick if you want it ;) I drive a Ford F150, so I kinda got my truck :P Too bad it's black instead of yellow.

@ Angela

I remember going home and throwing it into the cupboard in the playroom where our toys were stored. The only time it came out when when a friend of mine came over, 'cause she liked it. I have no idea where it is now, but I can still picture the soft blue body, fat plastic cheeks, short curly blonde hair... and that horrible pink potty :)

Pat Tillett said...

That was life, starting it's beat down on you...
I developed very low expectations at an early age, so I was rarely disappointed. Or at least I didn't let myself feel it.