Yesterday I Forgave My Mother For Everything

When I was a little kid, I loved Star Wars. I still love Star Wars, but back then I was crazy about Star Wars. The first movie I remember seeing in the theater was 'The Empire Strikes Back'; I was five years old. I had lots of Kenner Star Wars toys, like the action figures and some of the vehicles. My prize possession, however, was the Millennium Falcon.

After watching TESB, I was dying to have my own Falcon. It was for sale at the La Belle's store a few blocks from my house in Casper, for $29.99. $29.99 was a lot for a little kid. But somehow my grandmother, 3 states away, heard my pleas and for my birthday I received a $30 check from her. Two hours later, my mom and I were happily waiting in the checkout line with a boxed starship in my arms. The cashier rang it up and told me I owed her $32.39 if I wanted to leave with that starship.

How much?

I was shocked. I mean, my check was only for $30. The price tag said $29.99! The concept of sales tax was utterly foreign to a boy just turned six.

My mom saved the day -- she spotted me $2.39 and we went home and put together the Millennium Falcon. We put the stickers on, put in some batteries, and I was ready to go in minutes. The Falcon roared through our house, engines blasting, as I alternatively chased our dog or pretended the Empire was after us.

Later my dad and I made some special modifications. We (or rather, he) drilled a few holes in the very front of the ship and installed 'headlights', just like we saw in the movie when the Falcon flew into the asteroid cave! It was very cool. Now I would fly the Falcon down into the darkened basement, soar around at speeds near lightspeed, and then run back up the stairs to the illuminated rooms above.

I was a pretty happy kid. So happy, I think I even let my sister play with the Falcon a little.

The years went by and I grew older. I didn't play with the Falcon as much, but it had a special place on the floor of my closet. Occassionally the massive "hangar" doors would slide open and the Falcon would zoom around my room, but most of the time I would be reading or playing with something else.

And then, one day, I opened up my closet door. My beloved Falcon was gone and in its place were some neatly placed shoes. Much too neatly placed for a 9-year-old boy to have placed there. My mother had given the Falcon away to the salvation army. Or sold it at a garage sale. It was never really clear to me exactly what had happened, I only knew the Falcon was gone.

For years, nay, decades, I would occasionally bring this episode up to my mother's chagrin. I know parents have to clear out old toys for new, but I never really forgave her for this one.

And she knew it. Maybe I made her feel a little guilty. And I'm not sorry at all, because...

Yesterday, nearly 20 years after my Falcon was whisked away, I opened a belated Christmas present. My mom had told me weeks before that she had a present for me that I would love. It was in a box about thirty inches long. Twenty inches wide. Six inches thick. Not too heavy. My mother had written on the wrapping paper, "To Make Up For A Garage Sale". I felt a glimmer of hope, but at the same time I was astounded. I mean, there was no way she could have gotten another Falcon... could she? I was afraid to open the wrapping paper because if it wasn't the Falcon I was going to be very disappointed.

So I opened it. And it was everything I had hoped for, and even more! It was the newer Millennium Falcon, made by Hasbro! It has a better paint/sticker color scheme so it looks more 'used', like in the movies! It has engines that light up with three different engine noises: startup, flyby, and "punch it, Chewie!" It has a concussion missile launcher! It has a pamphlet discussing all of the extra features, ending each with an exclamation point! It's very cool.

My sister helped me put the stickers on. Our two dogs were chased around my parents house with the Falcon roaring in pursuit. I even let my wife fly it a little. My mom was very pleased that I was finally going to stop giving her crap after 20 years. And I'm very pleased my mom thought of buying the Falcon for me when she saw it a few months ago in the store.