Coming of age
“Please, Daddy. Can we take him home? Look—he’s hungry. He wants to come with us, I can tell. Please. Can we?”
“No, Jimmy. We’ve been through all this. It looks harmless, but once it’s been fed and restored it will own you. It will take all your pocket money to keep it going. It will take all your time playing with it and keeping it healthy. It will get into your mind and heart until your thinking gets all twisted up.
“Jimmy, you’ll be a man soon enough. You don’t need to own this monster to prove it.”
*****
This is my contribution to Friday Fictioneers. Thanks to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for hosting this weekly flash fiction event.
Onto the page 
We are what we own
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So true. Sadly.
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How very wise is Jimmy’s mother…
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Dad, actually. But yes – he’s trying his best. However I don’t know how long he can hold out.
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D’oh! Yes… sorry… and I like to think long enough
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True – in today’s consumerist culture we identify ourselves with the things that we own. Jimmy’s dad seems to be giving a very important message to him! Jimmy will thank him later
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We can only hope that our kids will thank us when they grow up. I feel sorry for parents today trying to steer their children through the pressures to buy and consume.
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Sometimes though, you have to let them do as they wish – it may make him happy, even if it does eat up his time and money!
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You certainly have to pick your battles, that’s for sure.
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Every man needs a muscle car 🙂
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Ha! Exactly.
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Nice one! I loved the dialogue – loved the “it looks harmless”, lol!
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Thanks, Jennifer. They’re far from harmless, aren’t they?
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I love the ambiguity here, Margaret. The first instinct is to envision a puppy, a pet of some sort, but oh a car! It all works there too. I love that play on our emotions, and the fact that you don’t make it entirely clear for us. Nice!
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I’m glad that worked. Thanks, Dawn.
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Dear Margaret,
I first thought of Gizmo the Gremlin. How weird am I? I remember when each of my boys came of age and wheels. Nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Oh dear – a gremlin. That car could turn into one so maybe you weren’t so far off track. Thanks for your nice comment.
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So easy to anthropomorphise (did I spell that correctly?) a car. It’s almost always the first one though, you become more detached with subsequent ones. Good one, Margaret.
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Spelling looks spot on to me, Sandra. Young men and their cars – who can figure them out? I have daughters and their early car owning years were bad enough – I’m glad those times are over. Thanks for your comment.
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I loved the dad’s stand.
Regards, SLSM. 🙂
https://stilllovedstillmissed.wordpress.com/2019/01/27/in-search-of-love/
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He’s trying hard, but I suspect he won’t stand for long.
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Hahaha, may be.
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Boy, ain’t that the truth. Connie and I bought an old “48 Ford truck last fall. I’m beginning to think it owns me. It’s costing a bundle to get it road worthy. Sometimes I think we’d have been better off to jus say “what a cool old truck” and walked on by.
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Yes, Russell, you would have been much better off. However I hope it gives you much pleasure once you get it ship-shape.
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Hopefully, Jimmy will see the wisdom of his father’s words one day!
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Yes, hopefully. Maybe when he’s a father himself.
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i guess part of growing up is making your own mistakes and learning from them. 🙂
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Ain’t that the truth. Who came up with that plan? I want to protest.
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I love the patient dialogue between father and son as he says “no” but explains why. Lovely story! 🙂
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He’s saying ‘no’ now, but it’s only 100 words. I’m betting in the next 100 he’ll give in to the pressure. Thanks for your nice words.
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Oh this is very clever. Great piece.
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Thank you, Laurie.
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Monster, is it? A wild animal that won’t be tamed? Sometimes, we are what owns us.
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That’s true. Especially young men and their cars. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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Great atmosphere & dialogue.
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LOL, nice misdirection in the beginning. The car as a monster that consumes you… I wish my fellow Germans would understand that.
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