Sea coaster

         “Class, have a great winter break,” said Mrs. Olly as the class put on their coats.

Christmas was coming up and Barry, a fourth-grader, had nothing to give. He thought of monopoly, a classic game, but a feeling told him someone was doing the same. A robot? Probably not. He thought of his mother, that’s when he discovered, he could buy a fruit cutter. He thought of his sister and said in a whisper, “a toy cat with long whiskers!” His Dad was a challenge, he liked DIY, but a blister he would cry. Barry suddenly cried “Oh my! I have nothing to give he said with a sigh. “I know,” he said, “I’ll just let my imagination grow!” he got up from his bed, went to his work table, and began his creation. 

Glue? Check! Tape? Check! Spare wood? Just a little bit, but Check! Wrapping paper from last year’s Christmas? Yep! Epoxy? A little hardened, but it still works! Play-dough? You betcha! Paint? We’ll worry about that later. Let’s get to work! With all these supplies, I’m sure I can whip up something! He thought as he looked at his table. He used his scrap wood to create a base. It looked kind of like a puzzle, he thought. That’s when he thought of the cool resin tables on Youtube. The beautiful beach with sand and rocks. Dad’s morning coffee on the dark circle made by the mug. Boom! An idea formed in his head. 

For the surprise gift Barry called sea coaster, he used his tape to create a mold for the wood and resin. He then put the wood puzzle pieces inside. To create the sea and stick the pieces together, he used epoxy. “There are always people at the beach when I go,” he thought and with play-dough, he made figures. When the figures dried quickly, but the necks broke so he decided to use super glue to put them back.

A few days passed so Barry forgot about the gift. When the family sat around the fireplace to open the presents, he thought something was missing but didn’t have the foggiest idea what. One by one, the loving family gave their presents. First Barry’s mother. She went around handing out the presents and dropping a kiss. As Barry thought, someone else gave a Monopoly set. His dad got the set, Barry got Pokemon cards, and his sister got a kitchen toy set. Then, Dad. He went in front of the fireplace and boomed, “Twas the day of Christmas in the Gonzales’ house, every creature was stirring, even a mouse.” after the laughs about the joke, for his father was a stand-up comedian in his early ages, he starts to act like a prize drawer. For the first prize, we have a big, blue box. Who will win it? He reaches into an imaginary box and pretends to pull out a name. Barry Gonzales! Congratulations Barry, you have won this enormous prize! He then shook the “winner’s” hand. Hard. Barry unwrapped a box and turns out he got a magic kit! He never told anyone, but it’s just what he wanted! Ladies and gentlemen, now for the next prize! This one is one of a kind! A heart-shaped box in pink and red wrapping paper! The 3-year-old sister’s eyes grew so wide she looked like a goldfish. She was obsessed with pink, and she made sure everyone knew it. Just to mess with her, Mr. Gonzales gave the box to his beloved wife and winked at her. Emma started to bawl. She was sure the box was for her! But, there’s only so much a 3-year-old knows. After Mrs. Gonzales accepted the gift, she quickly gave it to Emma and smiled. “It’s for you,” she whispered. The 3-year old beamed and tore it open. WOW! I got a gluestick set! No, baby, you got chapstick, and look, it’s the ones you’ve always wanted! “Yay!” “For the last gift, we have a small box.” “It’s not wrapped, but it’s in a beautiful box.” the dad looked inside of the imaginary box and then looked around the living room. “Ladies and gentlemen, there’s only one name left in this box….who is it?” out came the name. “Alisha Gonzales!” Alisha opened the box and nearly fainted. “You shouldn’t have, Bobby,” she cried when she saw what was inside. In the box was tiny gold stud earring with a matching necklace and bracelet. 

“Time for me!” someone shouted. Everyone looked at Emma. “Go on sweetie.” “Okay!” she sang Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer twice before she handed out the gifts. The family all tried to keep their faces straight, but inside, we were laughing so hard. We all got Barbie dolls. Yes. Even the boys. “So, what do you think?” “We love it, right guys?......but wasn’t this the Barbie I gave you last year?” “Yeah, but I didn’t like it.” “Next!” “Looks like it’s your turn, Barry.” “Okay.” He went to the front of the room and found there were only two boxes left. He read the names and no matter where he looked, there were no signs of the third gift. “I...I forgot your gi…..gift Dad.” “It’s ok m’boy” “Sorry” “Give sis and mom their gifts first.” “Okay.” 

After this incident, Barry gradually forgot about the gift. Years passed, and one fine December day, as 18-year-old Barry brought his friends over,  they started to talk about the little kids they once were. They talked about the holidays, the gifts and all. When they got to his house, they started observing the room. One of Barry’s friends Oscar got to his table. There he saw the Sea coaster. He asked Barry what it was. That’s when Barry remembered. His gift for Dad. Worst of all, it wasn’t finished and was covered in dust. Once the friends left, Barry continued his creation. He wiped away the dust, took the coaster out of the tape mold, and put a new layer of epoxy on. “No worries for Dad’s gift now,” thought Barry. With the old wrapping paper, he wrapped up the coaster. 

This Christmas, as the family gathered around the fireplace, Barry double-checked his gifts and volunteered to go first. As Barry thought when he started to make this surprise, his dad loved it. “Thanks, Oscar.” he thought as he opened his presents. This year, not a thing was missing.