…flooded back today as I came across a similar toy to the one above in a box of real estate memorabilia. This particular toy brought tears to my eyes as I remembered how I happened upon it, and why it has remained as part of my past that I bring along with me. I got my real estate license in 1981, not having a clue that 19% interest rate would effect the ability of people to buy homes, and especially first time buyers. So what did I do, I specialized on working solely with first time home buyers. My naivete also didn’t tell me that working with VA and FHA mortgage programs was not what every one did. I had a very astute mortgage representative that saw my williness to learn and also my desire to succeed and he took that naivete (another appropriate word would be dumbness) and taught me how to sell a house and succeed by finding the right programs for “my buyer”. (Realtors don’t refer to buyers as buyers, they always say “my buyer”) Anyway I did wind up working almost solely with first time homebuyers. In the early 80’s there were no computers so every week an agent received a book, the size of a phone book, delivered to them with all the houses for sale and the most important information it held were the new listings. One day I had a young man come in and I established a working relationship and we were off and looking at houses. He picked a couple of houses he wanted me to show to his wife, which I did. She would come in and the same thing would occur, show her, then show him. This went on for a few weeks and without prying I was trying to get both of them out together and never could. As in any sales position time is money and I felt I had to figure a better way. Back to the book. One rule was you were not allowed anyone but a licensed realtor to use your book. However, I felt this situation was unique and made my own exception to the rule. I called and told them I would like to drop my last weeks book off to them and they could look at it together. When I arrived at the house, my buyer called for me to come in and as I entered the house she shouted, “Chrissy, Chrissy it’s not Daddy” and I immediately became aware of a little 3 year old running across the room and bumping into me, throwing her arms around my legs and when realizing I was not Daddy she retreated with a very scared look on her face. I dropped down on the floor with her and told her I was her friend and my name was Charlotte. She came over and examined me from head to toe. Her little fingers ran across my face spending time on my eyes and mouth and ears. She checked my clothes, my buttons and she checked my high heel shoes. As children do she played the game eyes, ears, mouth and so on. I played it back with her and we became fast friends. Realizing this is why they did not come out together I offered to watch her while they looked at houses. Chrissy and I played many a game. Upon entering a house she would drop to the floor and say foyer, Carpet was living room. Kitchen she knew by tile. Sometimes I would carry her into a carpeted bedroom and she would say living room and when I would say no she would check out furniture. We played many a trick on each other. My young buyers found a home and my time with Chrissy was over. Weeks later out from under my car seat rolled Chrissy’s toy, which I was always going to return to her and I never did. Personally I think I wanted to keep it as a special reminder of a special time with a special little girl.