Barbie Girl

Author's note: This is based on an incident my mother swears happened ...

One summer day, my little boy gave me a lot to think about.

It had been a tiring and trying day, but most of them were, then. I had lost my husband to suicide six months prior, and we had to return from overseas to try and pick up the pieces of our lives without him.

As a result, instead of being a stay-at-home mom to two boys, I had to go back to work, and leave them to grieve on their own.

But this particular day would end up sticking in my memory ever after.

I had tried to arrange a babysitter for the kids to go to after school, but my youngest, who was just turning six, firmly refused to go to her house, and instead would take a key and simply go home.

I finally stopped fighting him over it when I realized he never got into trouble, he would just quietly read until I got home, and so I was rather shocked to come home that day and hear giggles coming from his room.

I checked on my oldest, who was busy playing, and then went toward the sound.

There was definitely more than one voice coming from that room ...

As it turned out, there were three girls in the room, giggling and playing Barbies.

Only thing is, one of these girls was supposed to be my son.

I hadn't seen him smile, much less giggle since his father died, so I watched quietly for a while, and then snuck away so they wouldn't know I had been there. A short while later, two of the girls excused themselves and left the house, and then I checked on my child.

It was like a switch had gone off, as there in his room, was once more the sad-eyed boy I thought I had.

I mildly chastised him for not asking me before having guests, but we never had the conversation we should have had.

I couldn't bring myself to ask what that ... change of personalities meant. I couldn't even ask how those girls had accepted him as one of them so easily.

I didn't have the words.

So I let the thing go.

But years later, when my child began living as a woman, I remembered this moment, and the only thing I could say when she told me was ...

“It makes sense.”

End