Operation Care Bear

   Operation Care Bear

Suzanne Marsh

December 1985

“Santa, all I want for Christmas is a Care Bear.”

“Ho, Ho, Ho have you been a good girl this year?”

“Yes, Santa.”

I grinned at Santa as I wondered where I was going to find a Care Bear. They were in such high demand, living in a small rural town made this seem even more of a project. I decided to talk to my husband and see what he thought, if a Care Bear was in our budget. I was not prepared for what he said:

“Honey if that is what Lilith wants then that is what she will have. It should not be that

difficult to purchase one pink care bear.”

“I hope so, if I can’t find one in our area what do you suggest?”

“I will look in San Antonio, I have a reserve meeting this week; we will manage.”

Manage my foot, I thought. Shopping in our small town of Repeat was not an easy thing to do. First there was only a few stores. The department store: Sierra’s had toys, but the question was did they have ‘Love-a Lot” Care Bear.

The following morning, I dropped Lilith off at school and began my quest for the care bear. My first stop was of course Sierra’s. I parked the car in a space with a parking meter. That was my first mistake of the day. I put in a quarter, which was supposed to give me thirty minutes. I checked my watch to be sure I would return to the car before the meter ran out. Right? Wrong, I was in Sierra’s for forty-five minutes trying to find the care bear. I came out and found a parking ticket on my windshield. This was not a good omen of things to come.

I had thought about going into Taylor they had more stores than we did. Once again, I looked at my watch. I could make it to Taylor and back before Lilith had to picked up from school. Now I had a plan. I was determined to find that care bear. I pulled into a parking spot near Freddie’s. It was more or less a junk store but worth a look see. These care bears were very elusive, at least where I was concerned. Thank heaven there were no parking meters, I could take a little time to really look. There were several stores that might just have that care bear I was desperately attempting to locate.

I found myself searching isles of toys. I found the shelf they were supposed to be on; they were all sold out. This was simply not looking good for finding Lilith a care bear for Christmas. I was not about to stop looking, I was going to find a care bear no matter what color it was. I came out of the store to watch my car being towed out of a no parking zone. Now I had a problem, I had to get back home to pick up Lilith. I chased after the tow truck operator:

“Where are you going with my car?”

“Lady you were parked in a tow away zone. I don’t make the laws.

“No but, I need to get home to pick up my child.”

“Get in, I can take you to the yard; it is going to cost you four hundred to get your car back.”

I blanched, four hundred dollars, Mike was going to be upset, not as upset as I was but upset. I climbed into the tow truck; the yard was about two miles from where the tow away zone was. I could have walked maybe by the time I arrived I would not be as angry. I noted the prices on the wall:

TOW $100

TAX 50

MISCELLANEOUS FEES 250

Fees for what? I inquired:

“Fees for gas to tow the vehicle, for the time spent putting it on the trailer, the list is long and

varied.”

“Varied my foot. Can you please just process this so I can be on my way?”

“Be about twenty minutes before we can accept your payment.”

“I haven’t got twenty minutes I have a child that I have to pick up from school.”

“Mam I will the best that I can, now please have a seat.”

The longer I sat the angrier I became. Not only did I have to wait while they processed the paper work but the clock was ticking. Lilith would be waiting and wondering where I was. Mike had a carpentry business that supplemented the Naval Reserve pay, he was a Captain. I was almost out of what little patience I had:

“How much longer?”

“Mam I am working on someone else yours is next.”

I started to say something then thought better about it, I called my neighbor and asked her to pick up Lilith, explaining the morning I had, had. She chuckled her daughter Meggie and Lilith were best friends, so that helped me. What was not helping was sitting here with two fines and my quest to find Love-a-Lot Care Bear.

I arrived home twenty minutes before Mike. He was in such a great mood I did not want to tell him about the two tickets, I knew I would never hear the end of it. Well, I would deal with later. I began to make supper and wonder how I was going explain four hundred dollars for a tow not to mention the hundred-dollar parking fine. Damn, this was turning into the parent problem.

After dinner I told Mike about the parking ticket and the tow. His eyebrows shot up, but he remained calm. What a relief, I began:

“I am going to go into Austin tomorrow and see if I can find that ridiculous Care Bear.”

“That is fine, if you can’t find one there, I have an alternative plan. I have a naval reserve meeting in San Antonio, I will look there if not, one of the pilots owes me a favor, the Bears are manufactured near his hometown. He can bring one back. He goes home to see his folks in a week, he has to return to base on December, I think it is the twentieth, that gives us five days to get it here.”

“That will work!” I cried enthusiastically.

The following morning, I left for Dallas after I dropped Lilith off, Meggie’s mom was going to pick her up from school, that gave me an entire day to look for that miserable pink bear! Austin on a good day is a three-hour trip. I thought I was going to miss the morning traffic jam, since I had left at six in the morning. I hit a traffic jam that looked like it went all the way to Dallas. I finally got off at the downtown shopping area. My nerves were stretched taught, like a piano string pulled to tightly. I drove around the block several times looking for a parking space. Finally, a car pulled out in front of Peterson’s. I parked, made sure it was not a tow away zone or a no parking zone. Well, after yesterday's adventure I had no intention of paying any more parking tickets. I went to stores that looked they might even remotely carry this DAMN BEAR!

I left Austin around four thinking that rush hour would be starting in an hour; I don’t know who I thought I was kidding but there I sat in another traffic jam. The car began to make a strange noise. I looked at the gauges: I was almost out of gas. How was I going to get to a gas station with no gas in the tank? I normally don’t look at gages since Mike fills my care up and does some of the maintenance. Now, what do I do? It sputtered and died in the middle lane. I could not move, I put my four ways on, and cried. Then I remembered that in Texas there is number on the license to call the state troopers for assistance.

I finally got up the nerve to get out of the car when a trooper pulled up:

“What is the problem mam?”

I started to cry:

“I was shopping for a damn Care Bear for our little girl for Christmas, and I ran

out of gas. Can you help me?”

The trooper was very empathetic he had a child of his own and was having the same difficulties. I told him if I found Care Bear’s somewhere I would let him know. He gave me his card while he waited for me to get the gas.

I thought to myself that I would be sure to get two Care Bears. When Mike came home that night, I told him about the day’s events:

“Honey, I will get a Care Bear from somewhere, and I will get one for the trooper’s little girl

also.”

With that settled we went to bed. The following morning Mike left for reserve duty for the week. Later that week he called me:

“Honey, remember I told you about the captain that owed me a favor? He is going to

go to the Care Bear factory and purchase two of them for me.”

“Oh, Mike” I sobbed: “Thank you.”

Little did Mike know what the captain was about to go through with the two Care Bears and an admiral that was a very unhappy camper.

“Captain, I realize this cargo plane is full, but I need to get to the Enterprise NOW!”

“Admiral, begging your pardon; there is not room.”

“Well make room!”

The captain was going to have to stuff the two Care Bears in his flight case and hope the admiral did not notice. The admiral made it to the Enterprise just before she left the dock. He then headed the plane to Lackland in Texas. He drove to the Reserve build and located Mike.

“Mike, I got them the problem was there were only two available and they are both blue.”

“That is great Tom, thanks I owe you.”

“No, you owe admiral Gray, since if I had not had to make room for him in the cargo plane,

fly him to Norfolk then fly here with two bears hidden in my flight bag. Merry Christmas

Mike, I know the two kids will love them.”

Mike called to let his wife know they had a blue Care Bear. She was delighted and Operation Care Bear had been a success.