Remember, when the Tooth Fairy comes; Don't peek.

.
In Those Days, I guess I was about ten when I began to lose my faith in dreams like Santa, the Easter Bunny, and heroes such as Superman. Yes, I know ten is a little old for that, but I was always one never wanting to give up on any of my dreams.

But, as I began to doubt these things, I lost my last baby tooth. Actually, after getting the hang of it from losing all ready seven or so, I pulled it myself, in the secrecy of my world. It didn't really hurt and there was just a bit of blood as I just reached into my mouth with a thumb and index finger and carefully extracted it.

I was pretty proud about it all, but suddenly I realized that the loss of your last baby tooth identifies the time which one is no longer a baby. And, in my case, I was then a young man. What a shocker. Such so, that I didn't tell anyone that I had pulled my own tooth.

Strange though. Although I knew I was no longer a baby, I believed the tooth ought to be worth something from the Tooth Fairy. But she never came, even after waiting for the third night.

Mom seemed to know everything, so I told her what had happened. Fearing the worst (being told there was no Tooth Fairy), I listened carefully to what she said. "Now, how can the Tooth Fairy come if your mother never summons her? You need to tell me everything about these kinds of things." Made sense to me because I was still trying to hang on to my dreams. So she told me to keep it under my pillow and the Tooth Fairy would come that night. Then, she concluded her comforting remarks by saying, "Remember, when the Tooth Fairy comes; Don't peak." It was as if she knew I was not a baby any more, but didn't want me to stop believing.

Well, the Tooth Fairy did come that night. But..... I peeked..... It was her! My mom! I laid still until she left. Then I began to cry. For suddenly, I knew there was no Tooth Fairy, and if the Tooth Fairy was not real, then neither was Santa, the Easter Bunny, or Superman!

My world changed that day, in Those Days. I was a boy. No longer a baby. I knew things were about to change more. But, I liked things the way they were. I liked cuddling with my mom, and being held tightly when I was afraid. I knew then that I would be on my own all too soon. But boys were too strong to cry, or to be held, or to believe in silly stuff. Boys were strong. They were to protect the weak, including their sisters. They were to do the lawn, and fix stuff, and get a job, and someday support a family of their own.

But, it was not a boy's job to bring the bad news about fantasies to their younger siblings, or to their own children later in life. That was left for girls to do. And that they did. Except that my mom did it in a special way. You see, she knew I would peek and find the truth myself.
.