Challenge #13: TV tropes
Title: Just a Toy
Trope: Cool Toy
Word Count: 1878
Rating: PG
Fandom or Original: Original, Tom Whitaker 'verse
Pairings (if any): none
Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/etc): Character death, not getting the cool toy
Summary: When the cool toy that belonged to Tom's roommate disappears, Tom explains that it's so much more than just a cool toy.
"Tom!" Cody burst into our room, his eyes wide as he studied me.
I looked up from my desk. I had been trying to work on a final paper that I knew would be particularly difficult. I hadn't made much headway, but honestly, I didn't want to wait til the last second. "What's up?"
"Have you seen my Dinobot?"
My eyes wandered over to his side of the room. It was a mess. There were clothes spilling out of his dresser drawers and all over the floor, his posters were peeling off the wall and his desk was covered with paper, trash and a lot of trinkets. I usually tried not to notice. I'd made it 3 months without really looking at the mess. I'd been too busy to yell at him to clean up and I didn't really care.
I stood up and I raised one eyebrow. "You have a Dinobot?" I had never noticed it.
He just nodded. "Yeah, don't look at me like that! It's a collectable."
"I know it is." I couldn't help being excited. The Dinobot was a robotic dinosaur, the hottest toy the year before I had turned 9. It was one of those toys that everyone wanted, but was always really hard to find. I had wanted one myself, but had never been able to find one. I heard they were still worth up to $1000 in mint condition. "I just can't believe you actually have one."
"Yeah well, not any more. I kept it in the box in the closet, but someone stole it."
"Are you serious?"
He just nodded. I felt myself getting dizzy. I had to sit down.
"You don't have to look so upset. Look, I know it wasn't you, if that's what you're worried about. I keep it hidden, so only a thief or something would have found it." He shook his head. "I don't know, I don't really care that much. Sure, I'll look around for it and probably put up some flyers, but it's really not that big of a deal."
I just stared at him. "Are you kidding me? We have to find your Dinobot."
"Who cares? At the end of the day, it's just a toy."
"No, it's so much more." I sighed. I studied Cody for a long moment. I really didn't want to tell him this story. We weren't close, he was just my roommate. On the other hand, I felt like I had to get the story out now.
==
Grandpa's apartment was dark and gloomy, the shades tightly drawn and most of the lights turned off to conserve electricity. It was a week before my 9th birthday. Grandpa was stirring runny eggs on the stove and I just stared at him and said, "I don't wanna go to school."
"Too bad, sonny." He barely glanced up from the eggs. "When I was your age..."
"You took the subway by yourself across Queens to get to school. I already know that, Grandpa."
"Well at least I didn't tell you I went to school barefoot in the snow." He tried to smile, but he didn't look very happy. I had been going to the school by his house for the past few months. I didn't know anyone and I wasn't exactly interested in making new friends. I just kept thinking of my father, lying sick in bed in the hospital.
Grandpa studied me for a minute. "What do think about playing hooky?"
"What's that?"
"It's where you don't have to go to school, at least not today."
"Are you serious? Can I really do that?"
"Sure, but just for today..." He smiled at me and picked up the cordless phone. He took it into the other room. He came back a few minutes later and said, "OK, let's get going."
I tried not to get too excited. "Really? Where are we going?"
“Yeah, you could say we’re going on a field trip.”
I practically ran to the car. I was starting to recognize the landmarks in this part of town, so I knew the general direction we were headed. We were driving away from the park, the science center, the museum and all the places we usually went on field trips. I was shocked when we pulled into the parking lot of Toys R Us. I stared out the window, trying to figure out what was going on. "Come on, Tom," Grandpa said.
I looked up at him. "What are we doing here?"
"What do you think? We're going to buy you a birthday present."
I couldn't help laughing. "Don't you know presents are supposed to be a surprise?"
He shrugged. "I don't believe in tradition. This way you know you'll get exactly what you want." I tried to smile, but I knew Grandpa grew up in a different place and time... His parents didn't have much money and I couldn't imagine he ever got that many presents. Honestly, I should have been glad he was taking me here at all.
Somehow it still didn't feel right and I knew why... Dad wasn't here. I knew it wasn't his fault he was so sick, but I just wanted everything to be back to normal. I wanted to go back to our old apartment with our hammock on the balcony and our cat named Helen. We had to give her away when dad went to stay at the hospital.
I saw a white van pull up near the enterance. I recognized the name painted on the side. I looked at grandpa, "Is that..."
"Why don't you go out and see?" He smirked a little.
I quickly got out of the car and crossed the parking lot. I made sure to look first, but there wasn't a car in sight. I stopped in front of the van. Grandpa was right behind me. He was in really good shape for an old man. I just looked up at him. He was still smiling, "I guess this is the surprise."
I trained my eyes on the van, smiling, but I was just looking for dad. The driver was a big man that I didn't recognize, but I knew Patrick from visiting the hospital. He was tall and thin standing over dad, his hair pushed back off his face as always. I thought he was really cool, even though everyone said he was just a nurse. He did so much more than any nurse I knew. Dad was sitting in a wheelchair. He looked thin and tired, but I tried not to notice. I smiled at him and he just looked up at me. "You're taller than I am," his smile was thin.
After that, it was quiet for a long time. Finally, Patrick spoke up. "Let's go inside, it's cold out here."
We agreed and hurried into the store. The driver didn't follow us, he just pulled the van into a parking spot and stayed in the car. I looked around at the packed aisles. I had no idea where to start, there were too many choices. "Well, what do you want?" Dad asked softly. "You can pick anything."
Anything?" I swallowed. It was like a dream come true.
It was so good to see dad out of the hospital, it was almost like the old days. I didn't remember my mom. She left when I was really little and we never spoke to her. Dad said she completely lost it. I walked slowly down the aisles, trying to make this moment last forever. It didn't matter that Patrick hovered over dad and grandpa was holding my hand way too tightly. The more, the merrier, I figured.
I tried to focus on the toys. I didn't need a bike, we didn't have anywhere to keep it in either our apartment or at grandpa's place. I didn't want any electronic games, I didn't like staring at a tv screen. Besides, I didn't have anyone to play with. The same went with board games and card games. I didn't have the patience for a puzzle or scale model. Finally, I saw it, the Dinobot. It had been the hottest toy at Christmas a few months ago, but no one had time to buy me one while dad was in the hospital.
Dad had found out he was sick just a few weeks before Christmas. He had a stroke at work and that's how he ended up in the hospital the first time. They did a lot of tests and told him he had brain cancer. I never thought any one I knew would ever get cancer... Dad told me he was really sick and he might not make it. He told me he wanted to be honest with me, but I didn't know if that made it any easier. The doctors gave him chemotherapy, but it only made him sicker. He was in the hospital for the most part after that. I hated it, but there was nothing I could do. I tried not to think about it too much.
I just stared at the Dinobot. The shelf was completely empty besides that one box. I just felt like I was supposed to have it. "I want that," I pointed at the green box.
Patrick picked it up. "Look, the box is dented and it's open..."
"Somebody probably used it once and returned it," Grandpa shook his head. "Maybe it's still good as new."
Patrick opened the box carefully. There were pieces missing from the packing foam inside. Patrick pulled out the Dinobot and it was obvious that some of the fragile joints were broken.
I was upset. "I don't care, I still want it."
"Look at it, Tom," Dad sighed and started to cough.
"Yeah, it looks like it's completely broken," Tom nodded. "It probably won't even turn on. Let's go find you something else."
I just sniffed and shook my head. "I don't want anything else. This store is so dumb... Let's just go home. I don't need a present."
"Are you sure?" Dad looked up at me.
I just nodded. Grandpa felt bad and bought me a Lego fire truck set on the way out, but there was only one thing I really wanted. I knew that was never going to happen.
I was right, my dad died a few months after I turned nine.
==
Cody shook his head. "I'm sorry. You're right. We have to find my Dinobot."
I had to chuckle because it sounded so ridiculous. I couldn't say anything.
"I'm serious!" He stood up suddenly. "I'm going to the library right now to make flyers."
I saw the flyers the next day. Cody was offering a handsome reward, more than any collector would pay for it on eBay. Sure enough, someone left the box outside our door that night with a note. "Obviously this means more to you than it does to me. No reward needed."
And for my 19th birthday, Cody left the Dinobot on my desk with that same note on top. I tried to give it back, but Cody wouldn't take it. I couldn't believe it was 10 years later and I had ended up with a Dinobot after all.
Trope: Cool Toy
Word Count: 1878
Rating: PG
Fandom or Original: Original, Tom Whitaker 'verse
Pairings (if any): none
Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/etc): Character death, not getting the cool toy
Summary: When the cool toy that belonged to Tom's roommate disappears, Tom explains that it's so much more than just a cool toy.
"Tom!" Cody burst into our room, his eyes wide as he studied me.
I looked up from my desk. I had been trying to work on a final paper that I knew would be particularly difficult. I hadn't made much headway, but honestly, I didn't want to wait til the last second. "What's up?"
"Have you seen my Dinobot?"
My eyes wandered over to his side of the room. It was a mess. There were clothes spilling out of his dresser drawers and all over the floor, his posters were peeling off the wall and his desk was covered with paper, trash and a lot of trinkets. I usually tried not to notice. I'd made it 3 months without really looking at the mess. I'd been too busy to yell at him to clean up and I didn't really care.
I stood up and I raised one eyebrow. "You have a Dinobot?" I had never noticed it.
He just nodded. "Yeah, don't look at me like that! It's a collectable."
"I know it is." I couldn't help being excited. The Dinobot was a robotic dinosaur, the hottest toy the year before I had turned 9. It was one of those toys that everyone wanted, but was always really hard to find. I had wanted one myself, but had never been able to find one. I heard they were still worth up to $1000 in mint condition. "I just can't believe you actually have one."
"Yeah well, not any more. I kept it in the box in the closet, but someone stole it."
"Are you serious?"
He just nodded. I felt myself getting dizzy. I had to sit down.
"You don't have to look so upset. Look, I know it wasn't you, if that's what you're worried about. I keep it hidden, so only a thief or something would have found it." He shook his head. "I don't know, I don't really care that much. Sure, I'll look around for it and probably put up some flyers, but it's really not that big of a deal."
I just stared at him. "Are you kidding me? We have to find your Dinobot."
"Who cares? At the end of the day, it's just a toy."
"No, it's so much more." I sighed. I studied Cody for a long moment. I really didn't want to tell him this story. We weren't close, he was just my roommate. On the other hand, I felt like I had to get the story out now.
==
Grandpa's apartment was dark and gloomy, the shades tightly drawn and most of the lights turned off to conserve electricity. It was a week before my 9th birthday. Grandpa was stirring runny eggs on the stove and I just stared at him and said, "I don't wanna go to school."
"Too bad, sonny." He barely glanced up from the eggs. "When I was your age..."
"You took the subway by yourself across Queens to get to school. I already know that, Grandpa."
"Well at least I didn't tell you I went to school barefoot in the snow." He tried to smile, but he didn't look very happy. I had been going to the school by his house for the past few months. I didn't know anyone and I wasn't exactly interested in making new friends. I just kept thinking of my father, lying sick in bed in the hospital.
Grandpa studied me for a minute. "What do think about playing hooky?"
"What's that?"
"It's where you don't have to go to school, at least not today."
"Are you serious? Can I really do that?"
"Sure, but just for today..." He smiled at me and picked up the cordless phone. He took it into the other room. He came back a few minutes later and said, "OK, let's get going."
I tried not to get too excited. "Really? Where are we going?"
“Yeah, you could say we’re going on a field trip.”
I practically ran to the car. I was starting to recognize the landmarks in this part of town, so I knew the general direction we were headed. We were driving away from the park, the science center, the museum and all the places we usually went on field trips. I was shocked when we pulled into the parking lot of Toys R Us. I stared out the window, trying to figure out what was going on. "Come on, Tom," Grandpa said.
I looked up at him. "What are we doing here?"
"What do you think? We're going to buy you a birthday present."
I couldn't help laughing. "Don't you know presents are supposed to be a surprise?"
He shrugged. "I don't believe in tradition. This way you know you'll get exactly what you want." I tried to smile, but I knew Grandpa grew up in a different place and time... His parents didn't have much money and I couldn't imagine he ever got that many presents. Honestly, I should have been glad he was taking me here at all.
Somehow it still didn't feel right and I knew why... Dad wasn't here. I knew it wasn't his fault he was so sick, but I just wanted everything to be back to normal. I wanted to go back to our old apartment with our hammock on the balcony and our cat named Helen. We had to give her away when dad went to stay at the hospital.
I saw a white van pull up near the enterance. I recognized the name painted on the side. I looked at grandpa, "Is that..."
"Why don't you go out and see?" He smirked a little.
I quickly got out of the car and crossed the parking lot. I made sure to look first, but there wasn't a car in sight. I stopped in front of the van. Grandpa was right behind me. He was in really good shape for an old man. I just looked up at him. He was still smiling, "I guess this is the surprise."
I trained my eyes on the van, smiling, but I was just looking for dad. The driver was a big man that I didn't recognize, but I knew Patrick from visiting the hospital. He was tall and thin standing over dad, his hair pushed back off his face as always. I thought he was really cool, even though everyone said he was just a nurse. He did so much more than any nurse I knew. Dad was sitting in a wheelchair. He looked thin and tired, but I tried not to notice. I smiled at him and he just looked up at me. "You're taller than I am," his smile was thin.
After that, it was quiet for a long time. Finally, Patrick spoke up. "Let's go inside, it's cold out here."
We agreed and hurried into the store. The driver didn't follow us, he just pulled the van into a parking spot and stayed in the car. I looked around at the packed aisles. I had no idea where to start, there were too many choices. "Well, what do you want?" Dad asked softly. "You can pick anything."
Anything?" I swallowed. It was like a dream come true.
It was so good to see dad out of the hospital, it was almost like the old days. I didn't remember my mom. She left when I was really little and we never spoke to her. Dad said she completely lost it. I walked slowly down the aisles, trying to make this moment last forever. It didn't matter that Patrick hovered over dad and grandpa was holding my hand way too tightly. The more, the merrier, I figured.
I tried to focus on the toys. I didn't need a bike, we didn't have anywhere to keep it in either our apartment or at grandpa's place. I didn't want any electronic games, I didn't like staring at a tv screen. Besides, I didn't have anyone to play with. The same went with board games and card games. I didn't have the patience for a puzzle or scale model. Finally, I saw it, the Dinobot. It had been the hottest toy at Christmas a few months ago, but no one had time to buy me one while dad was in the hospital.
Dad had found out he was sick just a few weeks before Christmas. He had a stroke at work and that's how he ended up in the hospital the first time. They did a lot of tests and told him he had brain cancer. I never thought any one I knew would ever get cancer... Dad told me he was really sick and he might not make it. He told me he wanted to be honest with me, but I didn't know if that made it any easier. The doctors gave him chemotherapy, but it only made him sicker. He was in the hospital for the most part after that. I hated it, but there was nothing I could do. I tried not to think about it too much.
I just stared at the Dinobot. The shelf was completely empty besides that one box. I just felt like I was supposed to have it. "I want that," I pointed at the green box.
Patrick picked it up. "Look, the box is dented and it's open..."
"Somebody probably used it once and returned it," Grandpa shook his head. "Maybe it's still good as new."
Patrick opened the box carefully. There were pieces missing from the packing foam inside. Patrick pulled out the Dinobot and it was obvious that some of the fragile joints were broken.
I was upset. "I don't care, I still want it."
"Look at it, Tom," Dad sighed and started to cough.
"Yeah, it looks like it's completely broken," Tom nodded. "It probably won't even turn on. Let's go find you something else."
I just sniffed and shook my head. "I don't want anything else. This store is so dumb... Let's just go home. I don't need a present."
"Are you sure?" Dad looked up at me.
I just nodded. Grandpa felt bad and bought me a Lego fire truck set on the way out, but there was only one thing I really wanted. I knew that was never going to happen.
I was right, my dad died a few months after I turned nine.
==
Cody shook his head. "I'm sorry. You're right. We have to find my Dinobot."
I had to chuckle because it sounded so ridiculous. I couldn't say anything.
"I'm serious!" He stood up suddenly. "I'm going to the library right now to make flyers."
I saw the flyers the next day. Cody was offering a handsome reward, more than any collector would pay for it on eBay. Sure enough, someone left the box outside our door that night with a note. "Obviously this means more to you than it does to me. No reward needed."
And for my 19th birthday, Cody left the Dinobot on my desk with that same note on top. I tried to give it back, but Cody wouldn't take it. I couldn't believe it was 10 years later and I had ended up with a Dinobot after all.