I need it, now!

Since a young child I was enamored with sport, technology and the spectacle of competition. As a child of refugee parents I would understand that the price of certain goods (the ones I was after) was out of reach for immediate purchase and money would take time. However when that time came, hell or high water I wanted what I wanted.

I remember being 10 years old. A pair of bright red ankle-high Reebok basketball sneakers were on sale. They were on special for 80 dollars. My parents said my shoes were fine, however they were not basketball shoes. Feeling betrayed, I left the store crushed.

Outside the store I sat not on the bench, but on the floor. I then proceeded to take off my shoes, and throw them onto the floor. Red-faced and internally in turmoil I refused to speak to anyone. My dad thought to himself, checkmate. Five minutes later I carried the Reebok box into the car as well as an Adidas box.

I can’t say that I was proud of my antics. I felt ashamed on the way home. I felt guilty that I would have put my parents in the position. I cannot help that I have always had to have it. I cannot compute being any other way.

My father has retold this story more times than I can remember. He laughs his high-pitched laugh every time he performs the “shoe throw” on the floor. Every time we act like this, we should definitely have it recorded and used against us at every chance. We need it.