Installment 6

Conclusion of Chapter 4

Christmas was coming and so were the Christmas catalogs. I went wild looking through the catalogs as they came one by one in the mail. The Sears' catalog came first and then the Penny's catalog and then Montgomery Ward’s. I would snatch them up and spend hours sitting on the couch flipping through the pages and pages of toys. The Christmas catalogs were truly a child's delight of fantasies and dreams. I wanted everything but knew I would be lucky to get even a fraction of what was in those catalogs. But what I really wanted for Christmas was in the section of toys that had the Mickey Mouse Club supplies. What I really wanted was a pair of Mickey Mouse ears, a Mickey Mouse drum, and a Mickey Mouse bugle. When I met Annette, I wanted to be prepared. I wanted to be everything she was. When I met Annette, I was going to make sure she liked me best.

I spent the whole Christmas season telling everyone what I wanted. I even stood in numerous lines to tell Santa Claus what I wanted. But every time I saw him and sat in his lap he would ask what my name was and what I wanted for Christmas. I began to think my case was hopeless because every time I saw the man he would have forgotten my name and what I wanted. I must have talked to him a hundred times that Christmas and not once could he remember who I was let alone what I wanted. Even when I tried to give him hints, he didn't have the faintest idea. But I couldn't give up. I even tried writing painstaking letters and included a string to tie around his finger so he wouldn't forget. Santa was my only hope of getting what I really wanted. He just had to remember.

My mother kept telling me not to be disappointed if I didn't get the bugle and drum. She would tell me that I really didn't want them, anyway, because they would keep my baby sister awake. I was starting to get real tired of my baby sister. I wasn't about to let her stand in my way from being appropriately attired when I met Annette. I kept begging my mother for the bugle and drums, and even promised never to play them in the house. I even went back and told the hundreds of Santas that I talked to before that I would never play them in the house, but just to give me the ears, the bugle and the drums. But as Christmas approached my hopes were getting dimmer and dimmer for the Mickey Mouse ears, bugle and drum. Santa couldn't remember who I was or what I wanted, and all my mother would say was "NO!"

On Christmas Morning I came running out to the blinding glare of home movie lights. My dad always got up early on Christmas Morning to set up the 8mm movie camera that had more lights than blinding sun at noon day in the middle of July. When I ran out to see what Santa had brought me, I had to stop and shade my sleepy eyes until they had time to adjust so I wouldn't run full blast into the Christmas Tree. But slowly my eyes began to adjust and I could see faint images. As the objects began to take shape and the colors began to glow, I froze with delight. I took a deep breath and yelled a victory whoop as I ran over to the tree! Mickey Mouse Ears! And they were sitting on a small rocking chair under the tree. And on one side of the chair was a Mickey Mouse bugle, and on the other side was a Mickey Mouse Drum! Santa, by some miracle, and much to my pleasant surprise, remembered me.

I grabbed up the drum and the mallet, and then shoved the horn in my mouth and took a deep breath and was ready to blow when... "Misery!" It was my mother. "You promised." She was reminding me of my promise I made that I would never play the drum or horn in the house.

"Aw, mom." I begged. I really wanted to get a toot on that horn and a bang on that drum. "Just once, Please?" I begged.

"You promised, Misery." Was all my mother would say. Then my dad came to my rescue.

It was a warm California Christmas and my dad told me that after I opened all my presents I could go outside and beat my drum and play my horn. My mother looked over to my dad and smiled and told me that would be alright. But I didn't want to wait. I got what I wanted and I really didn't care what else I got, at least for the moment. Any other present could wait. I ran out of the house and as soon as I was through the door I started banging my drum and tooting my horn. It was great! I was ready for Annette and as I ran around the yard banging my drum and tooting my horn I shouted, Annette, Annette, wherever you are, here I am, come see me, I'm ready for you!" And was I ever ready.  I was ready for my wildest dreams to come true that very afternoon!