Hop Dad

Bawny’s Back!

May 25, 2012 at 7:00 am 3 comments

In a previous post I talked about a great tragedy that befell my daughter. After a long day out earlier this month we accidentally left her beloved Barney, a plush dragon I won from a crane game, on a bus.

During the ensuing week I was consumed with guilt and a father’s desire to fix every problem his daughter has, no matter how small. Some of my friends told me “don’t worry – she will eventually forget about it”, and that’s probably true. But since that tragic day every time my daughter saw a Metro bus she would ask “Whez Bawny?” Then I would become stupid, lying Dad again and have to make up some line about Barney being off on an adventure.

“I want to see Bawny adenn…” she would say wistfully.

I had to do something. Since the dragon came from a crane game I couldn’t just go to a toy store and get another. So, one afternoon I set aside the pressing issues of a work day and waded into the Internet in pursuit of a purple and orange plush dragon.

The Quest

I will leave out the disturbing results I received searching for “plush” and focus on the success. While looking for “purple orange plush dragon crane game” I learned that the toy I won for my girl on a random grocery trip came from Sugarloaf Creation, Inc. It wasn’t long before I had enough keywords to build an effective search: “buy purple orange dragon sugarloaf toys crane game”.

I got one hit.

Someone in Georgia was selling the exact toy, in “like new” condition, tag still on, for a mere five dollars. I clicked “Buy Now” and five days later I opened a white USPS box that contained a mint condition, purple and orange dragon. I felt like I had just pulled the sword from the stone.

Now it was time for this king to take his princess a bus trip.

A Belated Mom’s Day

My wife had to work on Mother’s Day so the most we could do for her was give her some gifts and a smooch goodbye before she left. I told her that she could have a day the following weekend just for her; a belated Mother’s Day. On that day I gave her my usual Mom’s Day morning fare: bagels, eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, coffee, mimosas, and Hollywood gossip magazines. Then it was time to pack up and take a bus trip downtown for the day. I carried my man bag with the newly acquired Barney tucked inside.

We spent the afternoon at the aquarium where we talked to Nemo and Dory. Then we walked up to Pike Place Market, hugged a metal pig, and enjoyed a tasty dinner at Pike Brewing. With all of us weary and full of good food, it was time for the bus ride home.

The Happy Homecoming

As we made our way toward the downtown bus stop my daughter asked about every bus she saw. We talked of all of the people and places Barney could be seeing on his adventures. Our bus stop was still a few blocks away but by a lucky chance another bus that we knew came through our neighborhood pulled right up to us. We piled on and after getting settled I took a look around for a spot to execute my big plush toy plan.

The bus was not even half full so there were plenty of places for Barney to make his appearance. My wife and I did some mumbled planning across the aisle and I moved to another seat farther away. She distracted our daughter while I pulled Barney out of the bag, removed his tag, and set him up on a seat not too near to me. I had to make it look like Barney was there on his own riding the bus. Then I gave my wife the high sign and she brought the rest of the family to our new sitting spot.

There are no words to describe the searing, white hot joy my daughter expressed the moment she saw her beloved Barney sitting a few seats away. She clutched the neck of the dragon with both hands and squeezed him as if she needed to make sure she really had him again. Her eyes were wide and her smile was beaming grin of delight. She looked at me but was so overwhelmed by the moment she couldn’t find the words. Then she let out a breath, scooped him up and gave him a hug for the ages. For the rest of the ride we sat together at the window and watched the world go by. It was a much better world now that Barney was back.

After we got off the bus we stopped in to our new favorite beer and ice cream spot – Chuck’s Hop Shop. Hundreds of beers and ice cream in one place; a perfect location to celebrate. Barney never left my daughter’s sight. After a pint for the parents and a cone for the kid, everyone came home exhausted from our adventure. All that was left to do was curl up on the couch.

Looks Like I Get It Right Once In A While

For the rest of my life I will continue to have doubts about my ability to be a good father because some times I do really stupid things. But I have no problem taking credit for knocking this one out of the park. Yes, it was a lot of effort simply to replace some random plush toy from an arcade game. But just look at this:

Purple and orange plush dragon: $5.00

Searching the internet for a replacement, buying and shipping it across the country, taking your family on a bus trip and planting the new toy for your daughter to discover so you don’t have to lie to her any more: priceless

Entry filed under: Being Dad. Tags: Beer, Being Dad, Brewing, cooking, Dad, Family, Fatherhood, Kids, Mom, Motherhood, Parenting.