Have you ever had a favourite toy or possession? Something that you loved dearly and kept close to you? And have you ever had something precious to you lost or broken? Perhaps you can remember what it felt like. This is a story about a boy who had something dear to him, a simple toy. He didn’t lose it, in fact as you will see he gained something!
Ahmed had a favourite toy – a wooden pull along car, all covered in shiny red and yellow paint, with a wooden driver in the front that bobbed up and down as it was pulled along. Ahmed’s mum and dad had given it to him as a birthday present on his fifth birthday. Ahmed and his parents could remember the excitement when Ahmed unwrapped the present and the look of joy on his face when he realised what it was. He had seen the toy in the toy shop window and had fallen in love with it there. Now he took it everywhere with him, trailing behind him like an obedient pet on a long string leash.
When he went with his mother shopping, along would come the wooden car and Mr. Khan the local shopkeeper would say “what a lovely car”.
When they went to see the doctor at the local surgery, along would come the wooden car and and Dr. Martin would say “what a lovely car”.
When he went to playgroup, along would come the wooden car and Miss Phipps the playgroup leader would say “what a lovely car”.
Ahmed loved playgroup and now and then he would let other children play with his wooden car but he never let it out of his sight.
Everyone, who knew Ahmed, knew that Ahmed and his little wooden car were inseperable. “You really love that little wooden car, don’t you” said Ahmed mum. “You must remember to look after it”.
But there came a fateful day when Ahmed left his toy car on the house driveway when he went to bed. No one noticed it there and when dad came home from work late at night, he ran over it with his car when he got home.
“Oh no”! exclaimed Ahmed’ mum “he is going to be so upset”.
They brought the pieces into the front room and left them there till morning. When Ahmed woke up in the morning and found his beloved toy in pieces in the front room he was inconsolable and cried bitterely.
“My car, my favourite wooden car” he cried and dissolved into sobs and sighs.
“Why did you leave it on the driveway” said his dad sadly?
“We’ll find you another car” said mum much more helpfully.
“It wont be the same, it just wont be the same” said Ahmed and he rushed up to his room. Nothing and nobody could persuade him to come out and he didn’t even go to playgroup.
The next day when grandad came round, Ahmed was still tearful and wouldn’t eat or go out to play. But grandad said, “you know, I think I’ve got some glue and could put it back together”. Dad said, “I’ve got some nails that I could use to put the wheels back on”.
“Ahmed, did you hear that” said his mum “grandad and dad might be able to fix your car. And I’ve got some of that lovely blue paint that we used to decorate your little sister’s rooms” said Ahmed’s mum. “We could give the car a new lick of paint”.
Ahmed still looked glum “It wont be the same” he said. He couldn’t believe that his favourite toy would ever be restored.
Grandad spent the next few days gluing the car back together again. It was a hard job. Some of the pieces were very small and there were some pieces that were just missing. Not everything went back together properly and the wooden driver had to be glued down so that it couldn’t bob up and down any more. He brought it back to Ahmed’s house and Ahmed’s dad nailed the wheel back on the car, but it became impossible to put them all back on straight.
“It looks a rather sad sight”, said Ahmed’s dad “I’m not sure Ahmed will be pleased with what we’ve been able to do”.
“Give it me and I’ll give it a new coat of paint. That will make it look better” said Ahmed’s mum although she was also worried that the car was not going to look much like it did before. “Little sister can help me to paint it” she said.
Finally grandad, dad, mum and little sister had done the best they could. They stood back and looked at their work.
“Oh dear” said Ahmed’s mum, “it doesn’t look quite like it did before. I think Ahmed might not be too happy”.
“Oh well” said Ahmed’s dad in a tone of resignation I don’t think we could have done any more. Let’s see what he says” said Ahmed dad and he called out “Ahmed come down and see what grandad, me , your mum and little sister have done with your favourite car”.
Ahmed walked into the room and looked at the car. It didn’t look much like his old car. The bits where grandad had stuck it together were all dis jointed, the wheel that dad had nailed back was at a funny angle and the patchy blue paint his mum had tried her best to use was marked with a big handprint of his younger sister.
Ahmed’s grandad, dad mum and little sister looked at Ahmed as his looked at the car.
Ahmed said “it’s not like my old car”. And then Ahmed’s face lit with a big smile. “It’s betterl” he said, “it’s better than it was before. Now its not only made of wood but made of grandad’s, dad’s mum’s and little sister’s love”. And he took it straight outside to play with.
“You see this goblet?” asks Achaan Chaa, the Thai meditation master. “For me this glass is already broken. I enjoy it; I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass on the shelf and the wind knocks it over or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, ‘Of course.’ When I understand that the glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious.” Mark Epstein
“When the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold. They believe that when something’s suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful”. Barbara Bloom
