A Real Looking Train, Daddy!
He was so excited when he woke up that Christmas morning.
All he had asked for was a model train, not just any model train but "a real looking train, Daddy"! He was 6 at the time and full of energy.
When he seen that train making its way around the track he could barely contain himself.
I had been working many, many hours down at the plant and hadn't had a lot of time to spend with Johnny.
I'd spend some time here and there but never really had something that I could keep his attention long enough to bond with my son.
We had gone to a family gathering for Thanksgiving at Aunt Suzy and Uncle Dewayne's house and in the Family room when you walked in was the most beautiful display I had ever seen.
It had tunnels, trees and street lights.
Little people walking along on the streets that we're filled with little cars trying to make their way.
Johnny was just blown away when he seen it.
He didn't even want to break from watching it go around and around the track for one moment, not even to eat Aunt Suzy's famous Thanksgiving dinner.
Boy, he must have spent 6 hours watching that train that day, and with a big smile on his face too.
"Daddy, can we get one?" asked my only son.
"We'll see" I replied with a big smile on my face.
My wife Cynthia glared at me from across the room, she knew what I was thinking.
She also knew that model trains were nice "toys" and he was only 6 years old.
She squeezed out a smile though.
I think it's because she realized that he was pretty "grown-up" for his age.
Anyway, I made up my mind that Thanksgiving day that Johnny was getting a train from his Mom and Dad.
I searched all the "big-chain" stores looking for that train, one that was "a real looking train, Daddy", but they just didn't have what I was looking for.
So I called up Johnny's Uncle DeWayne to see where he had bought his train from.
He sent me to local hobby shop here in town and they helped me out to get what I was looking for and made me a very happy man.
That Christmas was the best Christmas I ever can remember.
Johnny rarely left the train in the garage where we set it up.
Good thing we set it up in the garage to, because through the years that train seemed to grow and grow and grow, like it had a life of its own.
It's OK though, because I was able to spend so many wonderful hours with my boy while he was growing up.
I finally had found that bonding piece that we needed.
Well, Johnny is all grown up now with three kids of his own.
He has a bright new shiny train set in his garage now too.
Because, you see he just didn't have the heart to take his when he moved out.
He said something about "Your grand-children will love it one day Dad".
They do too, they spend hours and hours just watching it go round and around the tracks.
All he had asked for was a model train, not just any model train but "a real looking train, Daddy"! He was 6 at the time and full of energy.
When he seen that train making its way around the track he could barely contain himself.
I had been working many, many hours down at the plant and hadn't had a lot of time to spend with Johnny.
I'd spend some time here and there but never really had something that I could keep his attention long enough to bond with my son.
We had gone to a family gathering for Thanksgiving at Aunt Suzy and Uncle Dewayne's house and in the Family room when you walked in was the most beautiful display I had ever seen.
It had tunnels, trees and street lights.
Little people walking along on the streets that we're filled with little cars trying to make their way.
Johnny was just blown away when he seen it.
He didn't even want to break from watching it go around and around the track for one moment, not even to eat Aunt Suzy's famous Thanksgiving dinner.
Boy, he must have spent 6 hours watching that train that day, and with a big smile on his face too.
"Daddy, can we get one?" asked my only son.
"We'll see" I replied with a big smile on my face.
My wife Cynthia glared at me from across the room, she knew what I was thinking.
She also knew that model trains were nice "toys" and he was only 6 years old.
She squeezed out a smile though.
I think it's because she realized that he was pretty "grown-up" for his age.
Anyway, I made up my mind that Thanksgiving day that Johnny was getting a train from his Mom and Dad.
I searched all the "big-chain" stores looking for that train, one that was "a real looking train, Daddy", but they just didn't have what I was looking for.
So I called up Johnny's Uncle DeWayne to see where he had bought his train from.
He sent me to local hobby shop here in town and they helped me out to get what I was looking for and made me a very happy man.
That Christmas was the best Christmas I ever can remember.
Johnny rarely left the train in the garage where we set it up.
Good thing we set it up in the garage to, because through the years that train seemed to grow and grow and grow, like it had a life of its own.
It's OK though, because I was able to spend so many wonderful hours with my boy while he was growing up.
I finally had found that bonding piece that we needed.
Well, Johnny is all grown up now with three kids of his own.
He has a bright new shiny train set in his garage now too.
Because, you see he just didn't have the heart to take his when he moved out.
He said something about "Your grand-children will love it one day Dad".
They do too, they spend hours and hours just watching it go round and around the tracks.
