Cindy sighed as she shut the door behind her. She could almost scream. She had been hoping that Mark would be different. He had seemed so sweet and understanding. Cindy kicked off her shoes angrily, sending one flying into a rather alarmed Mr. Tibbles. The fat calico scattered away in a dash, realizing this was not the most opportune time to be begging for treats. Cindy’s breath was coming out in sharp rasps. She stomped her way across the floor and flung herself down on the bed in a sea of stuffed animals. She held a floppy Saggy Baby toy to her face and cried.
Everything had been going so well. She had met him in the stuffed animals aisle. She had been looking for a new friend to play with. He had been looking for a plush elephant for his niece. They had started a conversation. He told her about his niece and how much she loved elephants. She told him about how she was a toy collector and hoped to design her own plush animals and dolls one day. They had checked out together, and kept talking about things until eventually he asked her to dinner. She accepted, and they had a wonderful first date. Then they had a wonderful second date. On the third date, things did not go so well.
It had already started badly when early in the evening Mark asked why she was so “obsessed” with “kid’s stuff.” She had gotten angry about that, and he just laughed it off. Eventually she cooled down, but later that same evening he kept pawing at her. Cindy knew what he expected, but didn’t feel ready. She tried to tell him, and he had gotten pissed off and started making cracks about her collection again. He said that real women fuck; they don’t play with dolls. Cindy had gotten so upset she asked to be taken home.
Now she stared up at the shelves full of stuffed toys around her apartment. There were so many. She had been collecting since she was a little girl when the toys helped her feel safe when it was dark or when her father would yell at her. Cindy sat up and grabbed a blue Wuvums Bear. She looked into it’s soft plastic button eyes.
:”He was mean wasn’t he Humphrey,” she pouted. Humphrey didn’t answer. “Dumb old boy. Boys are stupid. Throw rocks at them.” Cindy held Humphrey close to her chest. She smelled the bear deeply. She loved how he smelled, especially fresh and clean from the dryer.