Do you know why?
Not only is it Friday the 13th today (which is AWESOME, of course), it's also my birthday.
...so instead of giving you a sentence, I'm going to give you a theme:
Write about the best, or worst birthday gift you ever received, or a gift that you have some kind of strong memory about. I'd prefer it to be from your real life... 'cause then I get to know you better :) But if you want to stick with fiction, go ahead ;)
...and because I'm *selfish* and am scooting out to see my family right now (actually, I'm spending the weekend there...), I'm going to take the day off and re-post a relevant flash fiction piece I wrote for a Unicorn Bell submission and not write a new one for today:
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 sympathize. However, unlike you when I received something I didn’t want, I’m a bad liar. My face would give it away. The best gifts I received were from my in-laws oddly enough. A great hat from father in-law in the days when I wore hats and a pretty sweater vest from mother in-law which still hangs in the closet though I don’t wear it.
ReplyDeleteVery nice :)
DeleteI actually don't really like getting gifts 'cause I'm not big on *stuff*. I'd much rather go out for dinner with someone than accumulate new things.
I think the best gift of my childhood was having an entire bedroom redone when I was ~8; one entire wall was turned into a cork board and the bedroom has awesomely thick curtains against late evening sunlight. (That my parents had send me to the West Edmonton Mall for the previous evening with my aunt and uncle while they did this was pretty cool as well.)
ReplyDeleteI won't list the worst, though I am really bad at hiding my expression at such things; I tend to respond by giving the gift back to the other person the next year without comment.
(Also, I took this theme and did a short story for the magician series with it, but will post it in a few days. The idea of the magician getting a birthday present was too fun to pass up.)
That's pretty awesome! ...sounds like they knew what style you would like... 'cause it would be pretty awful to live with a bedroom you hated... especially knowing how much time and effort they put into the gift :)
DeleteHahaha, giving the gift back. Yup, that's an Alcar-level of tact right there ;) Great job :D
I do have to catch up on your magician series... probably not until tomorrow though as, yikes! I gotta leave in 5 minutes for the concert and need to feed the pets!
Happy (belated) birthday! Great story--the first lie is a powerful memory. I'll tell you a slightly different one, though. I got a chemistry set for my eight birthday, which I was *passionate* about. I wasn't allowed to play with it by myself because apparently there were some seriously nasty chemicals in there, so I had to wait to even open the actual box until my dad had time to putter with test tubes and funky-colored powders with me. That didn't happen for a while because he was a busy man. And then one of my older cousins had her birthday. And my parents decided to give her the as-yet-unopened chemistry set. They promised I'd get a new one later (never happened).
ReplyDeleteYes. I have trouble even now, thirty-something years later, forgiving them for that.
Thank you for the (belated) birthday wish :)
DeleteAwww... re-gifting YOUR gift? That really sucks!!
Well, at least now that you're an adult, you could buy one yourself and play with it without parent supervision ;)