A walk down memory lane

old ass pic

After I grabbed everything I needed, I decided to check out the toy section in this local supermarket a few days ago. It was filled to the brim with pretty colors and I analyzed each toy carefully as I walked by. There was this box of Lego which strongly reminds me of the house that was made out of Lego that I constructed with mbak Rini. Man, I miss her and also the Lego. Mine was a two stories house, complete with 2 bedrooms and a living room. I don’t think we built a kitchen there though. And ah, I just remember that there were no toilets, but we did place a nice “glass” shower in our lego house. 

The next kinds of toys that I checked out were these action figures and also dinosaur miniatures. I ran my hand over them slowly, touching the toys lightly, feeling the textures of these toys with my senses. A rush of memories ran through my brain. The smell of the processed rubbers brought me back to the time when all that matter was keeping all the crayons neatly in the box. Ah, the good old time. 

One particular toy caught my attention. I saw this package of plastic doctor kit, where it contained fake medical tools such as colorful stethoscope, thermometer, syringe, bandages, and all the stuffs a little doctor wannabe needs. Playing doctor used to be my favorite game. I remember vividly being a 5 year old in Burma, where mom bought me this little doctor kit and I just couldn’t wait to get home to play it.  I tore the package open and sat down on the floor by the bed, wearing my favorite matching pink little  t-shirt and shorts. A woman squatted next to me; I think it was my aunt. She helped me put on the stethoscope, looked at me and smiled sweetly. She said something in Burmese or Kachin, I wasn’t sure. But then again, I couldn’t understand what she was saying. Though there is a language barrier between us, I trusted her enough because of the genuine smile she gave me. 

While I was examining the toys, reminiscing the good old times, there was this couple with children next to me, checking out the toys too. My eyes met the father’s gaze and he gave me this “what the hell, you’re too old for these stuffs” kind of look. And I felt awkward and left. I wandered around the store aimlessly for a minute or two and returned to the toy section to see if the family had left. They went already, and I proceeded to continue from where I left off. There was this piece of toy that I am very familiar with; a tiny baby stroller, complete with a doll of a bald baby girl in the package. I had a similar one when I was about 6.

Thirteen years ago, it was a windy Sunday afternoon in Hanoi, and mom, sister, and I were just from church. We went to the toy store and I remember seeing this shiny, plastic, little stroller and a cute, blonde, baby girl doll sitting in it. And just like that, it was love at first sight. I named the doll Suzan. The tiny stroller was red, matching Suzan’s pink little dress. I pushed the stroller out on the street for the first time, with Suzan bouncing on the seat. Man, I remember feeling like the happiest kid in town.

Childhood is the only period of time where you can live a carefree, happy life. The innocence a child has is priceless. The ability of being genuinely happy for the simplest thing in life is a blessing from God to this world. That’s what makes children so clean and immaculate. 

I wouldn’t hesitate to jump in a time capsule, if such a thing existed. Hell, I’d give everything; I’d give up my kidney, huge chunks of my liver, my bone marrow, literally anything to be able to experience such a simple innocent moment once again.