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December 28, 2005
"You were expecting a Tiny Tears or a Cabbage Patch doll?"
So last night Jack was knocking around the upstairs as Fabulous Babe had settled down into her office chair to check email. Pretty soon we wandered into the office where Jack was intent on getting into everything. After asking my wife to help and getting no response I decided to play my trump card.
"Come here Jack. It's time I gave you something."
(Fabulous Babe tilts her head.)
"In every boy's life a moment comes along where he gets something that he's never owned before. Something that will change his life forever. It's a special moment and I'm glad as your father I can be the one to give it to you."
At this point the wife turns around to see Jack seated on my lap and my fumbling behind my back with something.
"What are you giving him?"
(Ignoring the wife.)
"Here Jack. I want you to have your first Tank."
Saying this I produced the 1/32nd scale King Tiger Tank that I had been hiding in the closet for just such an occasion. I handed it to Jack and made vroom vroom noises. Jack responded by growing and then proceeded to gnaw on the 88mm cannon.
"Jack it didn't benefit from the speedy production lines that produced Shermans but it was a great tank and your father has actually laid hands on two of the surviving King Tigers in the whole world."
At this point I couldn't keep a straight face while enduring the withering look from Fabulous Babe. With hoots of laughter I let Jack loose and he tottered off while dragging the King Tiger by it's cannon.
Not sure when he'll get his next one. I'm thinking Jagdpanther but part of me wants to steer him towards something a bit more modern.
Once a tread head, always a tread head. I blame my neighbor Mr. Stowe for showing us Patton on Saturday afternoon when I was 8 or 9. He had served under Patton and wanted all of the neighborhood boys to see it, bless his heart. It sent me spinning off to the library where I pestered the librarian for titles like "Improvisations during a Winter Campaign" and similar things written by old German staff officers.
With my luck Jack will have no interest in any of this and decide to take up cooking with mom. *sigh*
Posted by Jim at December 28, 2005 12:38 AM