The Big Red Fire Truck

Sunday October 31, 2010
The Big Red Fire Truck

When I was about 4 years old my family and I were driving to the small town of Estherville in Iowa, to see our Grandparents. Once we got to their house I scrambled out of the car, so excited to see my Grandparents. I bolted up to their garage finding my Grandpa tinkering with some wood. He turned around and saw me and smiled. I returned his smile with a giggle and a hug. He smelled of sawdust and their house. After everyone unpacked our things, my Grandpa said “I have a surprise for you!”
He went over to one of the custom made wooden shelves and pulled down a red plastic fire truck. I smiled and he set it on the ground in front of me. “COOL!’’ I yelled. I jumped into it and felt the urge to peddle off into the driveway. I started to peddle as fast as I could towards my mom. I circled up in front of her standing next to the car tired from a long drive. She put on a small but noticeable smile. That satisfied me and I rode off again. I was so much more excited than I was at first. It was like it was a real fire truck since I was so little!
Then finally the time came to leave the little white house, the big tree in the front yard, and even my grandpas small little workshop. Before we left we ate some good breakfast and said our goodbyes. I rode in the bright red fire truck with homemade ladders on the side one more time. I was sad we had to leave. Even more because I couldn’t take to fire truck home to show all my friends.
On the way of the long drive home we stopped dairy queen and I was slightly happier again. We drove past lots of brick buildings and small houses. We even passed some small little farms, before we finally got to out house in West Des Moines.
Tragically after a couple of years my loving grandpa, who had given me the fire truck had passed away. So we made the three-hour drive back to the small little house. We got there and cleaned the scruffy basement, with all the cobwebs and boxes. We finished with task after task trying to make the house look good for us to sell it. We came across the forgotten fire truck. When we finished cleaning we put it in the back trunk and drove back home.
Now that big red fire truck with the homemade ladder and the small little peddles now sits in our garage, waiting for its next adventure.

-Ashton J. Nelson