The Wheelbarrow
Dad had an old yellow wheelbarrow back in New York. I think it needed a tire. I said I wanted one and he went out and tried to fix it. I don't know how far he got with that idea or even if he was trying to fix it for me or himself. He could be possessive too about his things.
Eventually, I did bring it back to Ohio and Tom got it a new tire and redid all the wood on it. You might say he rebuilt it. He loved doing things like that. It wasn't to show dad up and it wasn't to do something nice for me. It was because he always got a thrill out of building things.
I was going to say its a male trait but, I think most of us feel that way about creating things, whether it be with a hammer and saw or with words and paint. I feel good about creating this. I look at things I've written or sewn or painted and am in awe that it came out of me. I look at Tommy the same way.
The wheelbarrow became a thing of wonder to this kid.
