It was just sitting on the kitchen counter when I first noticed it. It must belong to one of the grandkids but since we saw them all over the Thanksgiving holiday that doesn't narrow the field any. I was in the process of cleaning up some of the toys and other things that had been left around when everyone finally went home and I was ready to throw this toy purple pickup in the toybox with all the others. Then I noticed a remote control nearby with two buttons and a length of wire which ended in two frayed looking ends. Did that belong to the pickup? There was no sign that the two belonged together but at least the pickup was held together by screws rather than rivets so I could investigate further.
Removing the four screws that held the bottom and top halves of the pickup together, I found that indeed there was an electric motor inside with two now-bare terminals that looked like they might have once been soldered to a wire like that on the remote control. I peeled back the insulation on the wire and touched the two ends to the terminals. The motor responded. Now I knew what needed to be done and how to do it. Finding the soldering iron was a different matter.
Fortunately, the soldering iron was where I thought it might be although I don't remember using it since we moved here. The solder was equally easily found. Ten minutes later the wire was soldered to the truck, the two halves were reunited, and the toy truck was again as new - better maybe, because now there was a strain relief knot in the wire. A determined 3 year-old could still pull it apart but he'd have to try harder than before.
I don't recall being asked to fix the toy. I don't recall ever seeing it before. But that isn't the first time I've fixed something just because it was there. It's a good feeling, isn't it?
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