Never a reply and always waiting.

Late last year I reached out to someone that I haven't talked to in a very long time. I don't know why I did. I just felt like I needed to talk to him. He could be a very different person from when I knew him, but I wrote him a letter. I got a hold of his mother and she gave me his physical address and after a few false starts, I finally got a letter finished and sent it to him. I sent it to him in early feb of 2017. It's now mid April and I doubt I will be getting a letter back like I hoped. Hey, at least I wrote the letter and sent it to him. So, I thought I would be brave and post it on my blog for you all to read. Good or bad, here it is. I am just bummed he never wrote back. 

Brad,

Greetings sir, you probably don’t remember me, but that’s okay, it’s been 38 years since I have talked to you so I won’t be hurt if you don’t.   

My mother, Connie and my father Jim, lived next to your house back in the late 70’s. I am guessing maybe 78 or 79. I can’t be certain.  My mother worked in your Father’s grocery store back then, We lived next to the store, in a small home that doesn’t stand anymore. Anyway, my name is Tim. We played together back then. You invited me to go see Star Trek the motion picture but I was too afraid to go. (Anxiety rearing its ugly head already in my life. LOL)  

You are probably asking yourself, why is this guy contacting me after all this time. I guess in a nut shell I just wanted to say, thank you.

Now you are probably asking yourself, why is this guy saying thank you to me?

I wanted to say thanks for the influence. I was a young child, that had a dad that loved the TV and booze more than doing things with me, and from the stories I have heard. I don’t think anyone holds him in the highest of regards. But I digress….Influence.

I remember one day. You showed me some of your toy collection. One toy line in particular was branded into my mind from then on. The Mego line, “Micronauts.” 

You had the vehicle that, and I quote “the fearsome Myriapod from the far-off galaxy of Thoraxia.” and that thing was called called “Hornetroid”

This is what it looked like. This vehicle broke my brain, like some horrible mechanized insect that could scorch the earth with its abominable fire power. That toy sent my mind on a collision course to find anything like this out there in the world. But being only 5 years old at the time, I didn’t have the funds to purchase such a thing. Later when I was 8 or 9 I did get some of the figures from my Grandmother. She found them at a garage sale and got them for me and one of the vehicles.

But still no Hornetroid though. I had two or three of the figures. Their chrome heads, clear blue bodies and oddly white feet and hands sent my imagination into overdrive!

I guess what I am trying to get at in this letter is to say that you guided me down the path of Science Fiction and I have never looked back since. I can vividly recall you showing me that toy and me just being blown away by it.

For some strange reason, the music of the French band, “Air” makes me think of the Micronauts. Because of you I am an avid toy collector. It was something that I was made fun of in high school for. You wouldn't believe what people called me because of it. I got rid of my toys near the end of high school after being pestered for long enough. I caved in and gave them to younger cousins. But after reading a Ray Bradbury quote, I changed my mind from then on. He said, “Love what you do and do what you love. Don't listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it. You do what you want, what you love. Imagination should be the center of your life.”

Ray found out about negative people in fourth grade, shortly after his classmates started making fun of him for collecting Buck Rogers comic strips.

"In that particular year, I tore up my comic strips and a month later, I burst into tears and said to myself, 'Why am I weeping?' Who died?' “He said.”And the answer was me. I had allowed these fools to kill me and to kill the future."

I knew exactly how he felt. I killed me because of those troglodytes; I let those who had no hobbies, except date raping girls on trampolines, to kill my hobby.  I was too embarrassed to go into a toy store without making up some stupid, elaborate story about finding a gift for a cousin, or I would bring my little sister in and tell her the story about pretending to find a toy for a cousin. It was very similar to trying to purchase prophylactics from a drug store clerk and avoid being judged.  Years ago I saw an old school mate in Wal-Mart and I was buying a transformer.

“Aren’t you a little too old to be buying that?” He asked me, like I should be ashamed because I am purchasing a toy!

“At least I am not wearing a shirt that says, “I love caulk.”” I said to him, while reading his shirt.

So now, I say who care what they think. I know I should have learned that lesson a long time ago, and in a way I did…but not this one, not this lesson. This was the most important lesson to be learned. Don’t let them kill your inner wonderment; don’t let them kill your inner child off. Cause once he’s dead. Then you are just one of them and you’ll catch yourself judging people for buying a toy while wearing a shirt that says, “I let the dogs out.”

Now cut to December of 2016 and I just recently I found a Battle Cruiser, the complete Micronauts vehicle at a flea market in Jonesboro. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found it. It was just setting there, complete and the stickers weren’t even placed on it! Needless to say, it lives me with and my girlfriend now. Up to that point, I was on the fence about trying to find you and send you a letter. The toy clinched it for me. I told myself that I would ask your mother for your address. (kudos for steering clear of the vile facebook!) 

So here we are now. I hope that you don’t feel pressured to reply to this letter. I just hope that if finds you in good health and good memories. And even if you don’t remember me, that’s fine. I just wanted to reach out there in this cold world and say to you, “Thanks!”

And remember, No matter where you go, there you are.

Tim