Prime

It was December 13^th, 1985. Christmas was not too far away. The cold weather had taken over by now. The streets covered with snow. Indeed, it felt that we were in the Christmas spirit. I was happy that day. I did not have much in life. It was only my little boy, Doug, and myself, Mary Ann. Yes, I was a single mother raising my son on my own. We did not have much but we were happy to live in the city. It was very convenient for the commute time for my job and also for Dougie’s daycare. 

I was working in a factory as a general worker. More precisely at packing clothing goods. The company which I worked for was okay. I mean, it was not the best place to work for, nor the worst place to work for. My colleagues were great, to be honest. That is what kept me there. The pay was just the minimum wage and no benefits at all. I don’t blame the owner totally on that, but when you have barely completed high school, with no specialized education afterward, then this is what was expected. 

I used to work a nine-hour shift, from 7am to 4pm. Around 3:30pm, my foreman waves at me to come to see him. Usually, this was never a good sign when a foreman did this where I worked. I cease doing my tasks and slowly start working towards him. Invites me in his little office, which looked like a storage space. Hector, my foreman, had already convened 5-6 employees today before my turn came.

‘’Mary, I have something to tell you,’’ Hector said calmly. The owner called me up. ‘’We have attained our production level for the holidays. In fact, slightly above the demand. We need to slow down…at least, for a while.’’ 

‘’Hector, please don’t tell me you are laying off a few of us, including me?’’ In my mind, I was furious. I mean, I had done all my budget and everything was going to work out financially for the holidays. If I get laid off today, by the time I get my first unemployment check, the holidays will be over. My main concern was if I was going to have food on Christmas day and get a gift for my son. I did not want anything for me. My world was Dougie.

‘’Listen to me Mary Ann,’’ said Hector, ‘’I am just a foreman. My hands are tied. This is the decision of the big boss. I am just a pawn here. I am deeply sorry. I am handing you all the paperwork for the employment center so you can apply for the benefits asap.’’

I almost had tears to my eyes but did not want to show I was weak. I just replied, ‘’thank you Hector, and Merry Christmas.’’ I was one of the new girls working here so I was not extremely surprised. I was probably in the bottom ten percentile in the seniority list. 

I did complete my shift and went to pick up Dougie to the daycare. Thank God that my workplace from the daycare was only a 15-minute walk and from the day to our little apartment, another 15 minutes. To save money, I would not use a bus pass, and I could not afford a vehicle. Dougie was almost four years and he was a sweet boy. Not too demanding but Christmas is a huge holiday for the kids and since last June, we kept asking me if he could get this action figure from cartoon tv series he was following. It was called The Transformers. It was a huge success among young boys. Dougie wanted the good guy robot. I think it was called Prime or something like that. He was the leader of the good guys I believe. He would transform into a semi-trailer truck.

On our way home now, walking, I had to explain to my son that mommy is out of work as of now and that we must prioritize our budget for the holidays. The most important was to pay off the outstanding utility bills like electricity and the phone. After that, take care of the rent for January 1^st. Groceries because we all need food of course. 

‘’Dougie, I need to talk to you.’’

‘’Yes, mommy.’’

‘’Today, was my last day of work at that factory. For now, I will not have a full income. No money like before. We will have to be careful about how we spend the money for the next few weeks. Food, shelter, and clothes. Those will be our main priorities.”

‘’I understand mommy. We are poor…’’

‘’Not poor sweetheart. For now, we are just a little tight on cash but you don’t worry…we will manage and things will change in the new year.’’

‘’I know you do a lot for me. I just want to be with you and be happy.’’

I almost cried, for a second time today. I wanted to get down on my knees and hug him tight in my arms. At this point, I did not even mention to him that I might have to wait till all bills and essential items are paid off first before we can talk about his robot. 

We got home. I started preparing supper while Dougie when to his bedroom. He was checking this toy catalog that was sent to us by mail a few weeks back. I guess that is the way big stores lure those little innocent kids to get their parents to buy whatever seems appealing to their eyes.

While I was cooking, my boy came from behind and asked me if Santa Clause will get him Optimus Prime. Yes, now I remember the name! 

‘’Dougie, you have been a good boy all year and Santa, he is a busy person. He will try his best to get you what you desire the most.’’

‘’I hope so mom. I just want this one toy. Nothing else. I told my friends from the daycare that I was going to get the leader of the Autobots.’’

At this moment, I felt so powerless… I could not even get a simple damn toy for my kid. Well, I mean, it was a complex toy because of its dual function, and with popular demand, the price soared. 

I decided after a long reflection, I decided to sell something precious to get this precious gift for my kid. At that age, Christmas for kids is such a big deal with toys and games. I think Dougie could maybe understand if I took the time to explain the financial situation but I will not. Not this Christmas.

My mom had given to me, a very long time ago, her precious watch. I am quite sure it must have some monetary value. A Swiss watch. A Tissot. I decided to go to a few pawn shops and I got, I think, a very good deal. Enough to get Prime and even a big Christmas meal dinner with my son on the 24^th. I am hoping that by the end of January, I can get the watch back with, of course, I will have to pay more than the money they gave me for it. I am hoping that 1986 will be a great year and that I won’t have to feel powerless as I do today.