The Few. The Proud. The Helicopter Ride.

December 22, 1982. Nellies Wonderland was having its annual Christmas party before Christmas break began. 

I’ll get straight to the point, so you can see why this was so important. Every year each class did a secret Santa. In case you don’t know what that means. All participants put their names in a hat and one by one each person pulls a name at random. That’s the secret! You don’t know who picked your name until you get your gift at the party. 

But most of us had gifts bought by our moms so they were pretty “regular”. Action figures and barbies or something really lame like a book. Except for one kid always came with the best. 

Frankies mom was the manager at the toy store so every year he brought gifts that weren’t even in the store yet. For the past two years, I have been watching other kids get the best of the best toys that don’t really know how to appreciate them the way I would. 

I understand you feel my pain.

This year things were going to be different because I was guaranteed for Frankie to pull my name. The day for picking was here but I had a 1 in 32 chance of being picked properly. 

Mr. Cobb read from his role sheet daily. Which is how we did most things. Released for recess, to get snacks, and even to pick for names for secret Santa. But this time he throws a curveball at us and decides to pick at random. 

I’m devastated!

This ruins my plan. You wouldn’t guess who got called first. 

I did! Me! Of all people!

Because it’s the end of the day, when you pick a name you go home after. I needed to be there with enough time to fold my paper the exact same way Franchesca did because the entire class knew that Frankie was going to be looking for her name. He had been talking about it for weeks. 

I was slow to walk up to the front of the class where Mr. Cobb stood holding out the hat of names. My week of fun was going to be determined at this moment. 

Thinking…

I tripped. Stumbled into Mr. Cobb and smacked over the hat. The names fell to the floor. I yelled everyone grabs one. The class all ran over as Mr. Cobb tried to stop everyone but it was too late. I had backups of my name in my pocket all folded as Franchesca did. I dropped them all in front of Frankie. My relief when I saw Frankie grab one of my papers. “Christmas was looking good this year.”

It never crossed my mind. There were more papers than there were students. When everyone was gone Mr. Cobb must have realized this. Opening the 22 extra papers on the floor to find they all said my name “John Jacobs” my parents weren’t excited when they got that call home that night.  

I thought they would appreciate my effort. Suspended from the party and according to the rules the way I saw it is if you were unsuspended the days following the party then, you could get the gift of FRANKIE’S MOM. 

I couldn’t sleep the day of the party and even when I pleaded to my mom to take me she refused. Claiming that what I did was wrong and unethical. I couldn’t understand why she wanted me to be so unhappy. She must hate me I knew it. 

What did Frankie have for me that I was going to be missing out on? A helicopter, speed boat, live-action spider man with real web capability. I had to be there! 

I ran out of the house as fast as I could. I made it a block before I was tired and couldn’t find my way. I saw it on tv just a few times but I stuck out my thumb. A woman pulled over. “Are you lost, sweetie?” 

No. I told her, but just needed a ride to the nearest power plant. “My mom is waiting for me there and she is gonna spank me if she finds out I left.” 

She drove as fast as she could nearly killing a woman on the road, I think. Somehow missing her but it looked like she dropped whatever it was that she was carrying. 

We arrived safely and intact with all my bodily functions okay. 

Looking at the power plant. Surrounded by a fence and being surprisingly larger than it looked on tv I didn’t know what to do. 

I started climbing and made it over the massive fence. Tears dripping down my eyes but anything for a helicopter. I was bleeding from my stomach from the scrapes. I kept saying to myself. 

A helicopter for me, from the sky I will be able to see. A helicopter for me, from the sky I will be able to see. 

All I saw was massive towers and no way to break them. I tried a rock. No luck. My shoe. Nothing! I took off all my clothing until I was naked but nothing was working. The city light was mocking my pain and I couldn’t deal with it. 

Naked and full of failure I asked a strange man for a cigarette. Smoke in my mouth and he lights a flame. The flame touches the cigarette and I cough and spit it out. 

“You wasted my smoke kid!” 

Fire from my clothes to the towers had started and in less than 30 seconds. The entire place was burning. 

Fast forward to the important things. I’m excited because the last thing I remember is the city going dark. The party had to have been canceled. 

School here I come. Helicopter driving I was ready for. 

I get the news. Frankie’s mom died in the fire because she was at work during the party and she has stuck int the basement. So Frankie was sent to move with his grandma in FLORIDA. 

Can you say miserable Christmas? I can tell you it was miserable. My parents got me 8 pairs of sneakers. A cotton candy machine. A new basketball but all I could think about was that helicopter that was now in Florida. 

Next time! No next time! I’ll see you in Florida!