Kids in love can be cute sometimes, but this story is just pathetic.
It happened in either grade 1 or 2. I was at home around Christmas. I had a Ferrero Rocher. These are little chocolate truffles wrapped in gold foil. They are usually sold in packages of three with a single piece of cardboard along the bottom much like the way Reece peanut butter cups are packaged.
I had eaten two of them and I decided I wanted to give the last one to Neve as a present. I pushed it to the middle of the package. Then I folded the cardboard ends up and tucked them in so that looking at it from the side it had a trapezoid shape. Then I wrapped the whole thing over with Christmas paper, which there was plenty of around the house at the time.
Along the top I wrote, “To my teddy bear Neve,” and I drew two teddy bears, one on each side. Given my level of artistic skill at that age the teddy bears looked more like aardvarks, but that didn’t mater. I was just excited about giving this present to her at school the next day.
I usually took the Mississauga transit to school. This particular morning, however, my dad decided to give me a ride. He worked as a courier and drove a silver Datsun at the time. They don’t even make Datsun anymore, they are called Nissan now.
I had the present in my hand on the ride to school. When my dad dropped me off, I grabbed my lunch box and my bag and headed to class. When I got to class and saw her I opened up my bag to get the present, but it wasn’t there. I searched that bag completely, but nothing. Then I checked my lunch box thinking maybe I put it in there, but it wasn’t. Then I checked my coat pockets, still nothing. Then I went through and checked my bag, my lunch box and my coat pockets a second time thinking maybe I was losing my mind. I could not find that present, it was gone.
I knew for a fact I had it when I was in the car, so as soon as class let out for recess I retraced my steps. I walked from class, back toward Vista Boulevard. I searched along the path on both sides. When I got to the road I looked all over including the street itself. I searched around that area, but it wasn’t anywhere to be found.
I stood there dejected. I could not believe I would go to all that trouble to wrap a present only to lose it. I was almost certain that I had that present when I got out of the car, but I thought maybe there was a chance it dropped in the car when I was getting out.
That night when I got home I searched my dad’s car. I checked the seats, beside the seats, under the seats, in the glove compartment. I tore that car up looking for that present, but it wasn’t there. Finally, I gave up.
Some time after that, maybe a few weeks, maybe a few months, I went somewhere with my dad. He got out of the car to do something, maybe to use a bank machine, who knows. I was sitting in the car by myself. I opened up the compartment between the front seats and when I looked inside, there was that present!
I pulled it out, looked at it and read the writing on the top, “To my Teddy Bear Neve.”
I was so happy it was found. I’m not sure if I told her about that present or not, but at least now I had it again. Now I could finally give it to her!
When my dad got back to the car I was really happy. I asked my dad, “Hey dad, where did you find this?”
He said, “Oh I remember that. That’s the present you gave me one day. You left it in the car. I was having such a bad day when you did that it really cheered me up. I really appreciated you doing that. Thanks son.”
The smile was now gone from my face.
“You’re welcome.”
Growing up I knew my father was both violent and unstable. One minute he could be super happy and the next he would go ape shit. Sometimes you would say something with good intentions not even realizing he would take offence and instantly he would come down on you like a ton of bricks. Other times you wouldn’t even have to say anything at all, the car in front of you would lane change with no turn signal and then all hell would break lose. This was one of those rare occasions when, even at that young age, I could foresee the sheer hell I would bring upon myself if I dared burst his bubble.
If he wanted to think that gift was for him, he could have it.
Still, it bothered my conscience knowing that he believed something that was not true. Then I read it again, “To my Teddy Bear Neve.”
I read that inscription over and over. How in the hell could he possibly think it was for him? Her name was right on it. Then I thought maybe the confusion would be cleared up if he took the time to read what it said. I handed the gift to him as he drove down the road.
“Did you read what it says?”
He took the gift and read aloud, “To my Teddy Bear. That’s really sweet son.”
Ugh! I just couldn’t let it go. I was toying with my life by pushing the subject, but it really bothered me that he thought that gift was for him.
“Is that all it says?”
“Well I couldn’t read the last part. I think maybe you spelled something wrong.”
Good Grief. My dumb ass dad thought I spelled something wrong. He didn’t realize that Neve was the name of a girl in my class. At that point he asked me, “What was that supposed to say?”
The temptation to tell him the truth was there, but I knew my father. I could envision my lifeless corpse being dragged by a rope behind a beat to shit silver Datsun at 120 km/h down the 401.
After a long pause I said, “I don’t remember.”
Then instead of putting that present back in the compartment between the front seats where it would be out of sight and out of mind, he tossed it in one of the open slots under the dashboard where it was easily visible. He never opened that gift. He never took it out of his car. That present stayed in that slot for years like some cheesy picture pinned to the refrigerator with a magnet.
Every time we went anywhere in that car, I would look at that present and cringe. That Datsun did not have air conditioning and in the summer I could imagine that chocolate melting away inside the foil wrapper and rotting. It really bothered me that my dad thought it was for him.
What a dumb ass.
It happened in either grade 1 or 2. I was at home around Christmas. I had a Ferrero Rocher. These are little chocolate truffles wrapped in gold foil. They are usually sold in packages of three with a single piece of cardboard along the bottom much like the way Reece peanut butter cups are packaged.
I had eaten two of them and I decided I wanted to give the last one to Neve as a present. I pushed it to the middle of the package. Then I folded the cardboard ends up and tucked them in so that looking at it from the side it had a trapezoid shape. Then I wrapped the whole thing over with Christmas paper, which there was plenty of around the house at the time.
Along the top I wrote, “To my teddy bear Neve,” and I drew two teddy bears, one on each side. Given my level of artistic skill at that age the teddy bears looked more like aardvarks, but that didn’t mater. I was just excited about giving this present to her at school the next day.
I usually took the Mississauga transit to school. This particular morning, however, my dad decided to give me a ride. He worked as a courier and drove a silver Datsun at the time. They don’t even make Datsun anymore, they are called Nissan now.
I had the present in my hand on the ride to school. When my dad dropped me off, I grabbed my lunch box and my bag and headed to class. When I got to class and saw her I opened up my bag to get the present, but it wasn’t there. I searched that bag completely, but nothing. Then I checked my lunch box thinking maybe I put it in there, but it wasn’t. Then I checked my coat pockets, still nothing. Then I went through and checked my bag, my lunch box and my coat pockets a second time thinking maybe I was losing my mind. I could not find that present, it was gone.
I knew for a fact I had it when I was in the car, so as soon as class let out for recess I retraced my steps. I walked from class, back toward Vista Boulevard. I searched along the path on both sides. When I got to the road I looked all over including the street itself. I searched around that area, but it wasn’t anywhere to be found.
I stood there dejected. I could not believe I would go to all that trouble to wrap a present only to lose it. I was almost certain that I had that present when I got out of the car, but I thought maybe there was a chance it dropped in the car when I was getting out.
That night when I got home I searched my dad’s car. I checked the seats, beside the seats, under the seats, in the glove compartment. I tore that car up looking for that present, but it wasn’t there. Finally, I gave up.
Some time after that, maybe a few weeks, maybe a few months, I went somewhere with my dad. He got out of the car to do something, maybe to use a bank machine, who knows. I was sitting in the car by myself. I opened up the compartment between the front seats and when I looked inside, there was that present!
I pulled it out, looked at it and read the writing on the top, “To my Teddy Bear Neve.”
I was so happy it was found. I’m not sure if I told her about that present or not, but at least now I had it again. Now I could finally give it to her!
When my dad got back to the car I was really happy. I asked my dad, “Hey dad, where did you find this?”
He said, “Oh I remember that. That’s the present you gave me one day. You left it in the car. I was having such a bad day when you did that it really cheered me up. I really appreciated you doing that. Thanks son.”
The smile was now gone from my face.
“You’re welcome.”
Growing up I knew my father was both violent and unstable. One minute he could be super happy and the next he would go ape shit. Sometimes you would say something with good intentions not even realizing he would take offence and instantly he would come down on you like a ton of bricks. Other times you wouldn’t even have to say anything at all, the car in front of you would lane change with no turn signal and then all hell would break lose. This was one of those rare occasions when, even at that young age, I could foresee the sheer hell I would bring upon myself if I dared burst his bubble.
If he wanted to think that gift was for him, he could have it.
Still, it bothered my conscience knowing that he believed something that was not true. Then I read it again, “To my Teddy Bear Neve.”
I read that inscription over and over. How in the hell could he possibly think it was for him? Her name was right on it. Then I thought maybe the confusion would be cleared up if he took the time to read what it said. I handed the gift to him as he drove down the road.
“Did you read what it says?”
He took the gift and read aloud, “To my Teddy Bear. That’s really sweet son.”
Ugh! I just couldn’t let it go. I was toying with my life by pushing the subject, but it really bothered me that he thought that gift was for him.
“Is that all it says?”
“Well I couldn’t read the last part. I think maybe you spelled something wrong.”
Good Grief. My dumb ass dad thought I spelled something wrong. He didn’t realize that Neve was the name of a girl in my class. At that point he asked me, “What was that supposed to say?”
The temptation to tell him the truth was there, but I knew my father. I could envision my lifeless corpse being dragged by a rope behind a beat to shit silver Datsun at 120 km/h down the 401.
After a long pause I said, “I don’t remember.”
Then instead of putting that present back in the compartment between the front seats where it would be out of sight and out of mind, he tossed it in one of the open slots under the dashboard where it was easily visible. He never opened that gift. He never took it out of his car. That present stayed in that slot for years like some cheesy picture pinned to the refrigerator with a magnet.
Every time we went anywhere in that car, I would look at that present and cringe. That Datsun did not have air conditioning and in the summer I could imagine that chocolate melting away inside the foil wrapper and rotting. It really bothered me that my dad thought it was for him.
What a dumb ass.
