TRANSFORMERS:
Memories from childhood
I will never forget, it was the early summer of 1984 no later than April or May and I was almost 11. I had gone to Mount Vernon Illinois to spend a week with my aunt and uncle; my mother had sent me there to get me away from a hectic home life, thinking the change would do me good. The vacation was a nice break, but not all that exciting. I remember visiting with some elderly people I didn’t know, we worked in the yard, my uncle and I planted a tree, thrilling! All in all it was a nice getaway but rather uneventful…that was about to change.
I was nearing the end of my stay when my aunt and uncle decided to take me into town and do some shopping to prepare me for the upcoming school year. It was a typical back to school shopping experience, and like any other kid I hated shopping for clothes. I recall none of the stores we went too…save one.
We had done all of our shopping and were preparing to go eat, but my aunt wanted to make one last stop at Ben Franklin’s, the last of what used to be called a “dime” store. Anyone over thirty-five remembers them.
We wandered through the isle’s, I found very little of interest. I asked my aunt and uncle if I could go check out the toys while they did whatever it was they were doing. It was a small store so I was never out of their line of sight, so they gave me permission to venture off, and off I went!