The Outside Boy
The outside boy wanted the
puppy. Jamie knew this as he watched
from inside the toyshop, on the other side of the glass. The stuffed puppies looked soft and caring
with brown marble eyes and fuzzy fur. Jamie understood why the outside boy wanted
it, because he also wanted the puppy, though not as much as the electronic
robot with light-up eyes and explosion noises.
Jamie was taking the robot home, because Daddy had brought him to this
store, and Daddy always gave Jamie the toys he wanted when he got back from
business trips.
It was a fancy store, which was
probably why the outside boy wasn’t coming in.
He wasn’t wearing his fancy clothes, which Jamie assumed he had, since
everyone had nice clothes their parents made them wear to enter places like
this.
The boy looked funny. He was staring at the puppy, almost pressing
his nose against the window. His clothes
were dirty and old, probably his outside clothes, just like Jamie sometimes
wore, except a little dirtier and older-looking. Why was the boy wearing his play clothes in
the middle of the city, anyway? Wouldn’t
his parents be mad? He was lucky that
his parents didn’t make him change.
Changing into fancy clothes was annoying. Why couldn’t Jamie have parents like the boy,
who played with him and didn’t go on trips and didn’t make him change clothes?
“Ready to go, Jamie? Found what you want?”
“This, Daddy!” Jamie held out the robot.
Daddy glanced at the tag and
whistled. “Alright, buddy, we can swing
that. Let’s ring it up.” Then he paused, noticing the little boy
staring in at the puppy. His forehead wrinkled
into hills and valleys as he stepped towards the check-out.
“Will this be all, Sir?” the cash
register guy asked.
“Isn’t it enough? Ha ha, my little
tyke wants me to go broke.” He ruffled
Jamie’s hair, and Jamie glowed.
“Very nice of you. You can slide your card there and enter your
pin.”
“Alright, thanks. Oh, see that kid outside?”
“Yes Sir, I’m sorry, he’s been
hanging around all day staring at those stuffed animals, and I don’t have any
authority to make him leave since he’s outside on the street –”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Listen, I want you to add one of those dogs
he’s looking at onto my bill. Give it to
the kid.”
“Well, very nice of you, Sir! That will be five dollars.”
“Fine; just stick it on with my kid’s
toy.”
“Shall I take it out for you?”
“Nah, I’ll take it myself.” Dad glanced at his watch. “Ooh, you know what? We really have to get this guy back home so I
can make a meeting. You’d better deliver
it for me.”
“Daddy, can I have a puppy?”
“Naw, buddy, you’ve got your robot.”
“I want a puppy!”
Jamie had to have a puppy. How
could he be happy without it? The other
boy was still standing outside, nose pressed against the glass, oblivious to
the difficulty he caused. How was it
fair for him to get something from Jamie’s dad that Jamie couldn’t get? It was his
dad! His! But all Jamie got was this stupid robot,
not nearly as nice as the puppy!
“Kid, we’ve got to go. Just be happy with what you have.”
“Why does that boy get one and I
don’t? That’s not fair!” Jamie’s voice grew shriller and more
insistent with every refusal, drawing the attention of other customers. Dad glanced at them embarrassedly and at the waiting
check-out man.
“Okay, okay, sheesh! How’s that for gratitude? You can have the dog, already! Sorry about that,” he said apologetically to
the man in line behind him. “I’ll bet kids
like that one know how to say thanks for a gift.” He nodded to the outside boy.
“Tell me about it,” the other man grunted. “My little girl would never be satisfied with
something simple like that stuffed dog.
It’s got to have all sorts of bells and whistles and junk you can dress
it up in.”
“Come on, Jamie, we’re going. You’ve done enough here.”
Jamie played with his puppy in the backseat
of the car on the way home, the robot’s packaging untouched. He enjoyed the puppy for a few minutes: it
was fuzzy and soft and meant that his dad hadn’t paid more attention to that other boy than to Jamie. But it didn’t feel fun enough, somehow. Just not as fun as it should’ve been, as fun
as Jamie was certain the other boy had with his
puppy. When Jamie’s dad dropped him off
at home, Jamie trundled up to his room with a new toy tucked under each
arm. He left the robot on the floor and
tossed the puppy onto his bed. It slid
down the crack between bed and wall, and would be months before Jamie even
thought about the puppy again.
Back at the store, the check-out
attendee finally found a lull in customers.
Grabbing the stuffed dog that he’d retrieved earlier from the display
case, he headed outside to give it to street kid who’d been
loitering around for half the day. But
the kid was gone. Must’ve finally given
up. Somewhat morosely, the employee deposited
the dog among the others in the window display, and reluctantly returned to
work.
Meanwhile, the outside boy walked
down the street, finally drawn from the toyshop window by a familiarly grumbling
stomach. His imagination, however, stayed
back with the puppy, watching a nice rich person invite him inside to give him
one. The boy could play with him and
curl up around him at night, and they would be friends and find lots of food together
and Mommy would get well and Daddy would come home again. If only he had that puppy.
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