Chicoco

My son's cousin, was a few years older than my son, yet they became good friends. As children they played together and as adults they hung around together, especially when they played soccer. One Christmas, when the boys were small, we gathered around the table trying to make ice cones on a machine that my nephew had received for Christmas. My son was more interested in an ugly, stuffed monkey in a black and yellow outfit. The monkey had bright red suspenders and a not too pretty face! When my nephew saw how much my son enjoyed playing with the monkey, he gave the monkey to my son.

I don't recall who named the monkey but Chicoco is what we called the little monkey. My son took the monkey everywhere he went. I remember seeing the monkey in my son's crib. Sitting next to my son as my son played with his hot wheels. If we went on a trip, Chicoco accompanied us.  Once, when my son was hospitalized, the monkey went with him to the hospital.

As my son grew up, the monkey disappeared into storage and one day as I was going through boxes, I came across Chicoco. By now, my son had his own son and when I showed him the monkey, my son took it for his son. By now, Chicoco's fuzzy outfit had lost most of its fuzz and the rubber hands, feet and face looked spotty and dirty.

When I visited my son's home, I noticed Chicoco needed mending.  One arm was hanging loose and I sewed the arm back on and washed the monkey's face. I don't know if my grandson ever played with Chicoco but, for awhile, the monkey had a home at their house. Then, as life moves along, my grandson grew up and I happened to see Chicoco in a box in storage. Right now, I do not know where Chicoco is stored. I believe my son may have Chicoco in some box, or maybe Chicoco went into a box headed to Goodwill.

I do know that the ugly little monkey brought pleasure to the male members of my family. As ugly as the monkey was, I even have a tiny warm spot in my heart for it!

"Monkeys are superior to men in this:

When a monkey looks into a mirror,

he sees a monkey."

Malcolm de Chazal