my first real friend

all kids have their "stuffed animals" usually they get it before they're old enuf to choose and if they're familiar with it they like it later too.
I too had stuffed animals but I was sad that I could not choose my own. real parents wuld let the child select which stuffed animal for the kid to get what he likes and perhaps that would educate the parent about the child !
around age four my pop-pop died he was literally the pop-ma but I was just a brat then.
at first I did not believe he died partly because I did not understand death and mostly because I caught my ma lying to me all the time.
when we went to travel and comfort mom-mom [precise] for the loss of her spouse I searched all the rooms to see where pop-pop was hiding.
the adults did not even notice as  I searched every room in the apartment flat and they just yammered aith much gab.
finally I confronted granny "where is pop-pop" she turned white like a sheet... and stammered. ma quickly said "I told you he died"--"but you always lie I want  mom-mom to tell me the truth."
granny took a deep breath and explained when people get old the body stops working right and then we bury him in the jewish cemetery." so that is where he is.
I was filled with emotions that I lacked words for but asked "when you get old you wont be with us anymore?" the adults were in shock not knowing what to answer to a young boy.
we stood ther ein a daze and finally granny said "I will give you something that will be your friend forever and will never die." she took my hand and led me into one of the rooms and said look at these animals they will never die you can choose the one that you like.
 that was so nice and generous.
my first pet was _ hahaha people use that as passwords so do not reveal  your first pet nor first stuffed animal.
my jerk  ma later took it away, when we returned to her house that same week, because only "cow" is kosher to eat not other animals so I lost my only lasting friend... with more emotional value than any gift from granny... good thing I matured.... what a jerk I had to face.... and birthday presents... I could never keep those either.... if they could not make my body bleed limited by child-abuse laws those horrid parents would do everything as near to that as they could.