Member-only story
Never Let Yourself Grow Up
Toys and make-believe still play a role in adult lives.
You’re never too old for toys. A Christmas party taught me that. Our hosts were a married couple about my age — early 30s, friends of friends. They both had jobs with enviable salaries. A big, three-story house. Actual furniture. They were full fledged adults, I thought.
Around 10 pm, the party started to move upstairs. My friend’s husband stayed on his phone, out by the pool. He waved at us. “I’m making a big trade,” he said. “I’ll be up there in a minute.”
It occurred to me I still didn’t know what her husband did. I asked, “Is he talking about stocks or something?”
“No,” she said. “Action figures.”
That’s why the party was moving upstairs — to look at his collection.
They’d devoted an entire room to collectible figurines. Multiple shelves. A closet full of boxes. Avengers. Star Wars. Predator. We’re talking hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars’ worth of toys.
Years later, I still don’t know what my friend’s husband does for a living. But I remember the look on his face when he talked about his trades. He was still a kid, and not ashamed by it at all.
