Underwood, the love of my life

In the 1960's the Underwood manual typewriter was my first serious toy.  I’d like to think that my father bought it for me, but I have to admit that is most likely farthest from the truth.  You see, every time I came near the typewriter to try it out, my dad would promptly caution me to keep my fingers from the keys.  At that young age, I learned to sneak my little body in front of that machine when my father wasn't looking, with the goal of satisfying my childish curiosity.  Underwood was the forbidden fruit I just had to have!

But if my deceased father could see me now, he might have been supportive of my typewriter obsession.  I have become the writer he never expected... without much encouragement from him.  He must have thought that writing wasn't a real job because he wanted me to become a lawyer.  Back in the old days, what were writers without their own typerwriter?  These days it’s easier to venture into the writing field because computers have made writing life a breeze.

I have to marvel at the writers of those nostalgic days.  Many who couldn’t afford Underwood might have written their pieces in long hand.  Literally, their hard work had become a labor of love!  I could never parallel their sacrifice because I've always felt more confident typing than doing handwritten documents. That’s why I felt ecstatic with the addition of Underwood in our household.  I've always known my father to be a visionary, with a keen foresight, and he obviously saw the typewriter as a necessary tool in the household.  Although I was too young to know how to type, I managed to teach myself how to do it.  I had a passion needing to be unleashed and Underwood helped me to accomplish it.

That typewriter must be almost 50 years old by now.  Unfortunately, I have lost track of its whereabouts.  I have to make a mental note to ask my brother (who lives in another country) about it.  You see, the typewriter was one of the many things I left behind when I moved to America in the early 1980’s.  Many changes in the parental home I grew up in happened since then.  But I hope that despite the passage of time, Underwood has kept its place of honor in my childhood home.  The same way that the radio of the 1950’s that my father loved to listen to is still with the family.  By now both items are classified as antiques.  Underwood  and the radio may not command a cherished price tag, but both certainly hold a lot of memories for the family members who spent time with them like I did.

Although the invention of e-mail communications has been a godsend for me and the world, I have to admit that my Underwood era was priceless.  If I’ll be asked to put a value on that time, all I can say is that it had its weight in gold.  It was on that typewriter that I realized that I wanted to be a writer and it helped me realize that goal even at a young age.  Underwood was there when I needed it!  Just like a true and trusted friend.

But I have to keep it real now.  If the Internet and cyber communication never came to pass, I don’t know if I could have pursued writing as fervently as I do now.  Typing manuscripts was one thing.  Sending the package with a postmark on it was another story.  Now I don’t have to bother with all of that inconvenience because at the touch of the keyboard, anything can get sent… anywhere in the world!   

Even if these days I don’t have to spend some time putting ink on paper because typing on the keyboard and clicking the mouse have made that activity a part of the past, occasionally I manage to mail some friends a real letter.  I wonder if it’s my unconscious way of still clinging to the past?  Quite frankly, I don’t care to know.  I’m sure that once in a while, just like me, those friends look forward to getting a letter from the mailman.

Although I've been spending more time now with Hewlett Packard, Underwood will always have a special place in my heart.  You know what's been said about first love.  It never dies.