Two short stories
by Terry Brinkman

 

 

Extra Parts

 

Soon my oldest son will be Forty-Six, I just mailed him a few small gifts, I usually mail gifts too soon. I don’t know why but it kind of made me remember when he and my other three kids were young.

Forty years or so ago, for three or four years, my brother and his wife and his wife’s brother would show up to my house every December Twenty-Fourth night after my four kids were asleep. At that time, they did not have kids yet and liked being Sant’s helpers. They would usually stay two hours to help. With four kids I always had a lot of things to put together; Bikes, Three Wheelers, Doll-Houses.  

The problems started after they left; As the Group of Santa’s Helpers left, they handed me a box of extra parts they did not need; all the parts from different toys in the same box. “Thanks A lot”. I may not be the best at toy construction but I can read and follow instructions.

So, with help from my wife and God’s help I start to separate and put the extra parts together per toy. Then I spend all night taking the toys apart and putting them back together with the extra parts I somehow got them done before the kids woke up.

Yea back then I would get pissed off but now I look back and just smile.

 

 

 

Toot Toot

 

To Santa Barbara for my son’s wedding reception; all of my four kids and their partners were there. Along with my kids and partners, my two twin granddaughters were there.  My son had a lot of activities set up for to do before the day of the reception; and suggestions for things everyone could do on their own time.

One of the activities was a large meal at his condo, his condo overlooks the ocean. My wife and myself and son with the grand kids Emmy and Tess rented a condo also overlooking the ocean. My daughter and other son got a condo just up the hill, worked great, we could walk to each other’s place and the beach. Oh, wait a minute, the first night I and my wife stayed at my son’s condo which is having the reception.

One of the activities was a Meal at my son’s condo the night before the reception. The day of the reception we would walk to the Santa Barbara Harbor get coffee, look at the ships and walk the wall between the ocean and the harbor. After we were on our own to hang out until Two in the afternoon when the reception was. We offered to help set up but were turned down - my son’s new Mother and Father were taking care of it. On our way back to our room walking with Emmy and Terr we saw down in the harbor a guy call from a small boat “Toot Toot”. I said “look who wants to go on a boat ride”. Emmy was a quick “yes”, Tess after a few said “OKAY” so my son went down to see when the boat was leaving. Soon ten minutes sound like a good way to kill time (that’s life it’s all about killing time and how we do that) the only takers were me my wife my son and my two granddaughters.   

The small boat was kind of Shakey, the boat went to the pier and I asked if there was a round trip but the walk was only a few minutes. The ship captain went past some rich and famous person’s boats; we saw some sea-lions and seals, the captain almost rolled the boat. Then he said if we can’t get off at the pier, he would give us a free round trip (I said the boat was kind of Shakey) I remember the last time I was on Toot Toot with my new daughter in-law we had to jump from the boat to the pier.  The captain kept saying the weather was wild, the waves were going one way and the wind the other. We finally got to the pier you could tell they worked hard to park the boat. We climbed the ladder from the boat came up right by an Ice Cream shop “who’s up for Ice Cream?” I and Emmy and Tess were a “yes”.    

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