Chromedome

I can still recall my first Transformer purchase. And what happened to the toy once I got it home.

Two decades ago, my parents took me to KB Toys inside the Hickory Ridge Mall to pick out a birthday present. My spending limit was twenty dollars. A lot of dough it wasn’t, but I didn’t care. I was just excited about owning a new toy, namely a Transformer. Jeremy, my older brother, had some, but I none. I aimed to change that.

My mother tried hurrying me along by steering me in the direction of Legos, her usual toy selection when buying gifts for boys. I didn't want building blocks. I wanted a transforming robot.

There were many Transformers I couldn’t afford. I saw two humungous models I would’ve parted a leg for: a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a Scorpion. They were awesome, but too expensive.

I finally chose one in my price range. It was a headmaster, a car of the future named Chromedome. Headmaster Transformers have big heads. The heads can transform into robots, and the bodies can change into a car or an animal for the robot's enjoyment. If you place the robot into the cockpit of the vehicle, both you and robot should have the time of your lives.

I was proud to own Chromedome. I would’ve preferred to own the toy a long while, but Jeremy made sure “a long while” was reduced to about an hour. That was the time it took for the toy car to get badly wrecked.

Jeremy wanted it destroyed. He had a large Transformer collection at the time. Yet Chromedome wasn’t included in his collection. I suppose that’s why he wanted it gone. If he couldn’t have it, no one would. After placing the toy in a red bucket, he goaded me into tossing the bucket back and forth in the back yard. I agreed with the plan. I always did what my older brother asked of me.

I didn’t want to lose Chromedome. I should’ve stopped Jeremy before it was too late. But I didn’t. Chromedome was damaged beyond repair.

On that long ago birthday, my present was ruined before I even had time to unwrap it.

The End

Remembering the Marketplace of the Midsouth

Chromedome

Chromedome