Today was a warm, early fall day. We were driving around with the windows down, and you were happily playing with sleepy monkey in the back seat. Sleepy monkey has been on a LOT of adventures with both you and Guin. He's a little pink beanie baby monkey who has little pink eyelids that come about halfway down over his black beady eyes (which is why Guin dubbed him sleepy monkey.) I don't recall where or who he came from, but for some reason he was one of the only toys that either of you were consistently attached to as small babies, and he's been through several wash cycles. I commented last weekend that once you were done playing with him, he was going to have to go in my cedar chest to save for you guys. Sleepy monkey earned a lot of love.
Today as we pulled up to an intersection, I saw a dirty pink floppy thing fly past my rear view mirror. I realized that you'd thrown sleepy monkey out the car window. I don't know if you did it on purpose, maybe you were testing the boundaries, trying to see what would happen. Maybe you were just swinging him around by his tail and he just slipped. All I know is that I looked at that pink, floppy monkey sitting on the black asphalt and I froze. I had time to get out of the car and rescue him before the light turned green. But I didn't.
Maybe I wanted to teach you a lesson... you can't just throw your toys out the car window and expect me to be able to get them for you. You've been told a million times to be careful and keep your toys in the car. But as the light turned green, I watched in the mirror as sleepy monkey got left behind, and the cars behind us respectfully swerved as to not run him over. It wasn't until the car started moving that you realized Sleepy Monkey wasn't coming back. And you wept. There was a sadness like I've never heard in your little cry before. You cried yourself to sleep as we drove home, and to be honest, I teared up too. I think I've probably watched Toy Story twelve too many times, but I keep thinking about that sad little monkey face - loved as much as a toy can be loved one moment, and the next completely neglected in the middle of the road as we drove away because mom didn't get out and save him. I feel horrible.
If it had been any other toy, I would have shrugged it off and said "oh well, don't throw your toys out the window next time"... but here I sit, browsing Amazon and ebay, looking for someone who will sell me a pink monkey beanie baby. Is it bad of me to replace the toy you threw out the car window? Probably. But it's Sleepy Monkey.... I have to. I guess it's my way of saying sorry for making the decision to leave him behind.
So for Sleepy Monkey's sake, DON'T throw your toys out the window anymore!!!
Love,
Mom
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