‘Alice’ and I
“You are exactly what I wanted for Christmas this year!” I said when I opened my lovingly wrapped present from my mother. “How beautiful you are!” I exclaimed. “It’s a Toni doll that I can style, brush her long blond hair, and give her a real permanent just like the grown-ups get,” I thought to myself. “I love this pretty dress she is wearing with a plaid skirt and puffed eyelet sleeves. I wish I had one just like it to wear to school!” I added.
“Your hair reminds me of the pictures in Alice in Wonderland. Your name will be Alice after her,” I exclaimed. I found the book on my brother Dick’s shelf and opened it. “Here, look, Alice, at your picture in the book.” I showed her many of the beautiful drawings of Alice in her blue dress. “I shall get a blue dress for you, too,” I promised. And I did.
I decided that Alice is my age and likes to do whatever I am doing. I don’t take her to my school, but she is not alone because I have many dolls and she plays with them while I’m away. When I come home, I find she’s waiting and eager to hear about my lessons. I teach her and my other dolls what I learned. “Alice, you always get the answers right. You are my best pupil,” I praised.
“See this crisp printed cotton fabric, Alice? I’m going to make you a new dress. You need more clothes for all the things we do,” I told her. And I set about designing and sewing her new outfits for every occasion. Our lives are similar: school, home, play, church, and being with girlfriends, or in her case, my other dolls. I don’t go to dances yet and neither does she. So, she doesn’t have any formals or ball gowns like Cinderella wore because I’m not old enough to go to dances and don’t have any formals myself.
“This is a doll clothes wardrobe to keep your things in. There are even cute little hangers for all of your dresses. You must hang them up after you take them off each time and keep things nice and neat like Mother tells me to do,” I admonished my sweet Alice. And she has been very good about obeying that rule.
Alice is like having a sister for me because I don’t have a real one. She seems to know exactly what I’m thinking and how I feel about everything. I love her.
When I outgrow dolls, and someday I will, I will keep her for my little girl.
And I did!
