I Want That One!

            by Julian Pollack

 

“Do you want to come with daddy to the store today?” asked Sallie’s daddy.

            “That’s boring, daddy,” she replied. Sallie was busy coloring in her coloring book at the kitchen table. Her daddy stood at the door with his keys in his hand.

            “Well, what if I got you something, would you come with me?” he asked. Sallie looked up from her coloring book.

            “Yeah!” Sallie shouted and bolted up from her chair. Sallie’s daddy opened the door and they were off.

           

Sallie walked down the aisles of the grocery store, holding her daddy’s hand. Her daddy picked out all the ingredients for an icky dinner: olives, potatoes, peas and fish. If it were Sallie’s way, she would have chocolate cake with whipped cream for dinner.

            “This is boring daddy. I want to go home and color,” said Sallie. She clung to her daddy’s leg and stood on his foot as he scanned one of the racks of olives.

            “We’ll go home soon, honey,” her daddy said.

            As Sallie and her daddy stood in the check out line, Sallie stared out the window. She saw a sign above a shop across the street that read TOYS. And then Sallie remembered: her daddy said he would buy her something!

            “Daddy, daddy! You said you would get me something!”

            “Oh yes, my darling. What do you want?  An apple juice? A muffin? Or a pear?” Sallie’s daddy asked. Do you think Sallie wanted an apple juice? Do you think Sallie wanted a muffin? Do you think Sallie wanted a pear? No way! Sallie wanted a toy.

            “Daddy, I want a toy!”

            “Oh, you want a toy? From where?” Sallie’s daddy asked. He obviously didn’t see that there was a store across the street that said TOYS. So Sallie pointed with her finger like this:

 

-picture of Sallie pointing-

 

            “Well then,” Sallie’s daddy said with a smile on his face, “We might just have to go across the street and get you a little something.”

           

            Sallie and her daddy entered the toy store. The shelves were filled with big boxes and bags of toys and there were crates on the ground that contained hundreds of stuffed animals. There were coloring books and magic kits. There were face paints and dolls. Sallie clutched her daddy’s hand and she gasped at the sight of so many fun toys.         

There was a small table in the middle of the store that had a few very cute stuffed animals. A little smiling bunny-rabbit with a little fluffy tale caught Sallie’s eye. Sallie ran up it and pointed to it. She really wanted it.

            “Daddy, daddy, I want that one!” Sallie shouted.

            “Okay, sweetheart,” Sallie’s daddy said.

The storeowner, who was sitting at the cash register, saw what Sallie was pointing at and heard what Sallie said. He was an old man with gray hair and a potbelly, but he had a soulful glint in his eye. He came over to Sallie and bent over to marvel at the little bunny rabbit with her.

            “I’ve been waiting for someone to want my friend here Mr. Bunny-Rabbit. He’s been in here on this table for quite some time but I think it’s about time he found a home. If I let him go with you, would you take care of him?” the storeowner kindly asked Sallie.

            “Yeah! He’ll be mine forever and ever and ever and I’ll make sure he gets tucked in with me every night!”

            And then Sallie’s daddy bought her the stuffed bunny-rabbit.

            “So what’s his name?” asked Sallie’s Daddy on the way to the car. Sallie skipped as she cradled the bunny-rabbit in her arms.

            “His name is…Fluffy!” Look at how cute Fluffy is:

 

-picture of stuffed animal-

 

            Sallie played with Fluffy every day. She took him on adventures in her backyard. She put him in her backpack and had his head stick out so he could see where they were going. One day, Sallie’s daddy helped her build a little home for Fluffy out of cardboard. It was a pretty home because Sallie painted it pretty colors. Fluffy was a very patient stuffed animal and he sat with her while she colored and ate her breakfast. Fluffy comforted Sallie when her friends were mean to her and cheered her up when she got an owie. And she cuddled with him every night in her pink bed. Sallie loved Fluffy so much!

            After some time had passed, Sallie’s daddy asked her if she wanted to come with him again to the store. What do you think she said? Of course she said yes: she wanted to go to the toy store again!

            “Daddy can we go to the toy store again?” Sallie asked as they stood in the check out line of the grocery store.

            “Honey, I just bought you something the other day, isn’t that enough?” he said.

            “I want something else, though!” Sallie cheered.

            “Well, alright, but just this one time. You will have to wait for a long time to get something again after we go to the toy store,” her daddy said. Sallie was happy.

            In the toy store, Sallie took her time and looked around at all the toys. She found a pretty blonde doll named Lucy and fell in love with it. She really wanted it.

            “Daddy, Daddy, I want this one!” Sallie shouted.

            “Okay, sweetheart,” Sallie’s daddy said. But the storeowner came over and had a talk with Sallie. He whispered in her ear. Then Sallie told her Daddy:

            “He says that Lucy has a sister and that Lucy can’t go unless her sister goes, too. Her sister’s name is Laura. Can we get both?” Sallie’s Daddy was not happy.

            “Now Sallie—” he was saying with a scolding look on his face, “I already bought you one thing. Now you’re asking for two more things. What about Fluffly, isn’t he good enough?”

            “Yeah, but I also want Lucy and Laura. Then they can all be friends!”

            “Well, alright,” Sallie’s daddy said and he bought her the two dolls.

            When they got home, Sallie introduced Fluffy to Lucy and Laura.

 

-picutre of Fluffy meeting Lucy and Laura-

          

           That night, although Sallie still loved Fluffly, she made him sleep in his home and let Lucy and Laura cuddle with her in her bed.

           After some time had passed, things weren’t the same. Sallie played with Lucy and Laura a lot more than Fluffy. Fluffy wasn’t allowed to go on the adventures in the backyard. Fluffy wasn’t allowed to sit with Sallie while she colored. And Fluffy wasn’t allowed to cuddle with her at night. Sallie gave all her attention to Lucy and Laura. How do you think Fluffy Felt? He felt sad!

          

           One day, Sallie convinced her daddy that she needed more things for Lucy and Laura. It took a lot of convincing, but he finally acquiesced and said he would take her to the toy store again. This time, Sallie said she needed blocks so she could build Lucy and Laura a fort.

           “Back again, I see, sir,” the shop owner said to Sallie’s Daddy. “What is it now for the little girl?”

           “Blocks,” he said. “She needs building blocks.” The shop owner brought down lots of boxes and bags for Sallie to look through. Sallie was in heaven.

           “Daddy, look at all these blocks!” she said. Sallie came across a box of pink blocks that were just right for building Lucy and Laura a fort. She really wanted them.

           “Daddy, daddy, I want these ones!” she shouted.

           “Okay, sweetheart,” Sallie’s daddy said. But the shop owner told him that he could get an additional bag of blocks for half the price. He was not happy about spending more money, but he figured it would keep Sallie occupied so he bought the two bags of blocks for Sallie. Sallie was so happy!

           When Sallie got home, she dumped out the bags of blocks and immediately went to work. In no time she had built a huge pink barricade that could shelter Lucy and Laura.  Sallie played with Lucy and Laura all the time. And Sallie got better and better at convincing her daddy to buy her things. Eventually, her entire room and backyard were filled with things for Lucy and Laura. Fluffy was in his long forgotten cardboard home. He looked out from his home and saw her moving about and wished that she would come and say hi, but she never did.

           Lucy and Laura were nice, but they weren’t that nice. They were plastic and weren’t soft so they weren’t nice to cuddle with. They didn’t have smiles on their faces. Lucy and Laura looked very similar. And they didn’t seem all that happy even though they had everything in the world.

 

           After several months, Sallie stumbled upon a dirty brown box in her room. Her room was very messy.

           “What’s in this box?” Sallie asked her self.

           Sallie opened up the box and there was Fluffy staring right back up at her with a smile on his face.

           “Fluffy! I missed you! Have you been here this whole time! I forgot about you! But now I have you back!” Sallie screamed. She picked up Fluffy and cradled him in her arms. Sallie realized how much she loved Fluffy and she put him on her bed. She would never leave him again.

 

                                                -picture of Sallie cradling Fluffy-