my desk and chair of 35 years

my father learned too late that giving me expensive toys was a bad idea.  and i grew spoilt.  he would give me a toy for every merit card, medal or school award.  and, i remember the battery-operated toys he gave me.  there was the robot that had a rotating head of colored lamps.  he gave me a tractor that could climb over obstacles and steep inclines.  there was the flash gordon spaceship that could retreat from things it bumped into and i would keep it on until the batteries died.   and there was the monorail train hugging a flexible rail perched on poles and never, not even once, falling off.  and as soon as i got bored with them, i would get my dad's screwdriver and pliers and explore how these toys worked.  my dad was a mechanical engineer.  and i would mimic how he used his tools. it was fun as i would turn the toys into monsterized creatures.  but my mom called me a "seraniko".   i was like the ruthless kid in toy story 3 where the toys never stood a chance.   eventually, my father thought matchbox cars would be more appropriate.  those metal cars were tough and not made for prying. but i stopped even before he gave me those tough metal toys because the tools suddenly disappeared.  and that was after i tried to pry away the plug from the electric socket.  there was a loud clap and huge sparks flew and the screwdriver turned black and i must have turned pale with fright!  i did not get hurt but i eventually learned to take care of things after realizing how much work went into making them and the hazards they sometimes pose.  and so i developed a penchant for taking good care of things, making them last for as long as possible even in this day of planned obsolescence.  and so it was with a desk and a swivel chair papa gave me for my college studies.  its top had now slightly bowed to the weight of my books and my shoulders from late night readings. the steel chair had already been welded twice due to fatigue. they remain quite usable.  as a matter of fact, they are the ones i use when patients see me at the clinic. and papa finally hammered another lesson into my head.