I Want My Dolly (Illustrated)

"Is Nanny still here?”

“No, Melody,” her father said. “You know she leaves right after dinner.”

“Yeah, I know,” the four years old girl said. “Can you play with me and Mommy?” She held out a small doll with beautiful blue eyes, subtle makeup, long, sandy blond hair, and realistic body proportions. The doll looked like a relative of the child.

“Sure. For about twenty minutes and then it’s bath time.”

“Yay!”

Her father sat at the little table in the girl’s room awkwardly, because of his size, not because of his attitude. Melody, Mommy Dolly, Mr. Huggybear, Daphne Dolly, and Daddy ate pretend crumpets and drank pretend tea. After a time, Daddy said, “Okay. We have to put the toys away and get you into the bath.”

“Okay.” Melody picked up the stuffed bear and put it on her bed. She took the two dolls and put them in their designated doll stands. The Mommy Dolly’s stand was flashier than the one for Daphne Dolly. When she was done she got undressed. Daddy returned from the bathroom and helped her get out of her stockings. Once she was ready, she raced to the bathroom.

“Don’t get in the tub until I get there.”

“I know, Daddy.”

He helped her into the tub and turned off the faucet once it was sufficiently full. She was reaching for her tub toys when he said, “You know the drill. Soap first, toys second.”

“Fine.” She was washing her arm when she stood up. “Mommy!”

Her mother was standing in the doorway. Daddy stood up and gave her a chaste kiss. “How was your day?” She said.

“It’s looking up.” He said. “I’ll give your two some alone time.”

“Play with me, Mommy.”

“You know the drill. Soap first, play second.”

“Daddy just said that.”

“I know.”

* * *

Later, Mommy read a bedtime story to Melody and Melody went to sleep. Mommy kissed her sleeping daughter on the forehead and turned out the light in her room. She went into the living room and sat on the sofa to snuggle up to her husband.

“Alone time?” She said. “I spent most of the day with her.”

“Not alone, though. Roberta was there. Mr. Huggybear. Daphne.”

“Ha ha. I suppose I can’t complain. I get to spend a lot of time with our daughter.”

“Yes. You do,” he said. He held her chin and turned her face toward his. A long, slow, beautiful kiss followed. “And I get to spend time with you now.”

“Yes. You do.”

In the morning, Daddy helped Melody get up and get ready for the day. Together they went to the kitchen where Mommy had breakfast ready.

Daddy finished first. He got up and kissed Melody on the forehead. “Have a good day, Pumpkin.”

“I’m not a pumpkin.”

Daddy was already giving Mommy a kiss.

“But, it’s okay when you call me Pumpkin,” Melody said.

“I hope so. I have to call someone Pumpkin.”

“No, you don’t.”

He leaned close to her. “Don’t tell anyone, but I want to.”

“Okay.” She giggled.

After he left, Mommy finished her breakfast and put the dishes in the sink. “Let’s go. Don’t want to be late to pre-school.”

* * *

At noon, Melody was called by one of the teachers. “Melody, you’re Nanny is here.”

“Oh, do I have to leave?”

“Afraid so.”

She gave each of the teachers a hug before heading to the reception area where Roberta was waiting. “There you are. Were you giving all the teachers two hugs, today?”

“I can give two hugs?”

“No. The teachers are far too busy for two hugs.”

“I’m going to try tomorrow.”

“That’s very friendly of you, Melody. Let’s get you home.”

“Okay.”

As soon as she entered the house, she rushed to her room and picked up Mommy Dolly sitting in her doll stand. “I missed you, Mommy.” She set Mommy Dolly down on the floor. She was gathering other toys to play with when her Nanny peeked into the room.

“Lunch will be ready soon.”

“Okay.”

When lunch was over, Roberta reminded Melody that today was ballet class. Melody returned to her room and got out some dress up clothes so she could practice her dancing.

Later that afternoon, Roberta dropped Melody off at the dance studio and spent the hour running errands for herself. She returned in time to watch the last few minutes of the practice.

When class ended, Melody was showing one of the other students something in her bag when Roberta reminded her that she had to leave. Melody ran over to Roberta.

“I’m ready to go.”

“Are you?” Roberta said. “Your bag is over there.”

“Oops,” she said as she ran and got her bag.

Roberta took hold of the bag. “Melody, you have to zipper the bag closed before running with it. And you know better than to be running in the first place. Don’t you?”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Let’s go.”

When they got into the car, Melody reached for the bag but Roberta was buckling her into the car seat. “I want my dolly,” she said.

“What dolly?”

“Mommy Dolly. She’s in my bag.”

“You shouldn’t bring your toys to dance class.”

“But, I like having her there.”

“Melody, you can wait until you get home to play with your doll.”

“I want my dolly,” she said vehemently.

“If you don’t settle down you will have to go in timeout when we get home. You can play with your doll at home.”

Melody pouted but said nothing.

When the car was parked, as soon as she was released from the car seat, she grabbed her bag and opened it. “Where is it?” She said. Frantically, she removed everything from the bag. “Where is my dolly?”

“Did you lose it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Look at this mess.”

“We have to go back. We have to get my Mommy Dolly.”

“Melody. This is why you shouldn’t bring your toys to dance class.”

“I want my dolly!”

“That’s it. Go inside and sit on the timeout stool, right now.”

“I want my dolly,” she said as she cried. She moped as she walked inside to the stool.

Melody cried for the next couple hours until Daddy came home.

When he found Melody inconsolable on the living room sofa, he asked, “Roberta, why is Melody crying?”

“She brought a toy to dance class and lost it.”

“What toy?”

“That doll she’s too attached to.”

“What toy?”

“That doll. That little doll she takes with her everywhere.”

“Mommy Dolly. Do you go back and look for it?”

“No. She’s too attached to that toy. Just buy her a new doll.”

“You didn’t think a toy she calls Mommy Dolly might be hard to replace?”

“What so special about this doll?”

“Come with me.” He led Roberta to Melody’s room as he tapped a few buttons on his phone.

“What is that?” Roberta said. Where the little doll stand for Mommy Dolly usually was found, a life-sized doll stand was now there.

“Get on it.”

“What?”

“Get. On. It.”

“Okay. When did this arrive?”

He hit a button on his phone and Roberta felt herself shrinking. She couldn’t move as the room swelled to a cavernous size around her. Daddy picked up the resulting doll and return to the living room.

“Pumpkin?”

“I’m not a pumpkin.”

“Did you bring Mommy Dolly to dance class?”

“Yes.”

“What did I say about playing with Mommy Dolly?”

“Not to bring her out of the house.”

“And did you do that?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Annabelle didn’t believe I had a Mommy Dolly. I wanted to show her.”

“Where is Mommy Dolly now?”

“I don’t know. I showed her Mommy Dolly. And then Nanny called me. And then I ran over to her. And then she asked me a question. And then I had to go back and get my bag. And then we got in the car. And...”

He sighed. “Okay. Sorry to interrupt. Were there any other girls there when you showed Mommy Dolly to to Annabelle.”

“Jessica and Bethesda.”

“Okay. I’ll find Mommy Dolly. But I can’t do that until tomorrow. For now, you can play with this dolly.” The dark haired doll was surprisingly realistic in its presentation of a middle aged woman.

“Nanny Dolly?”

“Yes, Nanny Dolly. Okay?”

“I guess so. She was mean to me.”

“Well, you show her how to be nice.”

“Okay.”

* * *

Later, before bath time, as Melody cleaned her room, she said, “Where does Nanny Dolly go?”

“Oh, we don’t have a doll stand for Nanny Dolly. Why don’t you sleep with her in your bed with Mr. Huggybear? We’ll find a place for her tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

That night Mommy didn’t finish Melody’s bath. Daddy tucked Melody into bed and read her a story. After Melody fell asleep, he leaned close to Nanny Dolly’s face and whispered, “You’ve met Melody’s mother. Didn’t you think the doll looked a lot like her?” He left the room.

He wrote an email to the dance studio office about what happened and named the students who might have been there when Mommy Dolly was taken out of the bag.

Hitting send didn’t assuage his feeling very helpless.

Exhausted, he went to bed early.

In the morning, he got Melody ready for pre-school. He took the day off from work. Mid-morning, he received a call from one of the instructors. They had not found a doll at the studio. She feared, as he did, that one of the kids took the doll. She said she’d call the parents and see if they noticed a new doll among the child’s toys.

“I’m afraid that’s all we can really do,” she said.

“I know. Thanks.”

“No problem.”

When he picked Melody up from pre-school, she was excited, “Did you find Mommy Dolly?”

“No, Pumpkin. The dance studio didn’t find her last night.”

“I’m not a pumpkin.” She started to cry. “Where’s Nanny?”

“Nanny Dolly is still in your bed. Are you going to play with her?”

“I guess.”

* * *

Melody was sad all day. When he watched her play, she was drilling home to Nanny Dolly that some toys are more precious than others. During dinner, the doorbell rang.

He answered the door to find a woman standing there with her young daughter.

“Hi, I’m Pam. This is Jessica. She and your daughter, Melody, attend ballet class together at the Hope Dance Studio.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” he said. “I’m Kirk. Do you want to come in?”

“I guess. This should only take a moment.”

“Melody,” he called out.

She ran up to the doorway to the living room. When she saw there was company, she entered the room slowly. “Hi, Jessica.”

Jessica walked up to Melody and stopped. She looked back at her mother who gave her a stern look. “Melody. I’m sorry. I took your doll yesterday. And I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”

“Where is Mommy Dolly?”

Pam stepped forward and took the doll out of her purse and handed it to Jessica. “Give it back.”

“Here,” Jessica said.

Melody’s face lit up, her smile wide. “Oh, thank you, thank you. I missed you, Mommy Dolly.” She clutched the doll to her chest.

“Okay,” Pam said. “We should be going.”

“Can Jessica stay and play?”

Pam looked at Kirk and he shrugged back.

“I suppose we could stay a little while. I do need to get home and start dinner soon.”

The girls ran off to Melody’s room as soon as they thought permission was granted.

“Would you like a cup of coffee or tea before you go?”

“Coffee would be great,” she said.

The two adults went into the kitchen. He turned on the coffee maker.

“I’m so sorry about this,” Pam said.

“I’m just glad Melody didn’t lose her favorite doll.”

“That doll is so detailed. Where did you get it?”

“Have you ever heard of the Mannequin Disk company?”

“No.”

“They’re a niche nanotech company that specializes in turning people into mannequins and restoring them.”

“Really? You’re making this up.”

“Do you know the mannequin that’s usually in the center window at Bede’s Boutique on Main Street?”

“The one that isn’t always there but looks extremely real?”

“Yes. I believe that mannequin is a real person transformed by one of that company’s products.”

“Really?”

“Why else would it not only look hyper-real but also disappear from the window for a couple days each month? I’ll send you a link to the company’s website.”

“Hmm,” Pam said, pondering the idea. “Wait. Why did you bring this company up?”

“We have one of their products. The Doll Stand, Mark II.”

“That doll is a living person.”

He nodded.

“You’re wife, I suppose?”

“Olivia spends a lot of time with Melody.”

“As a doll?”

“Yes.”

“What if the doll had actually been lost?”

“I don’t want to think about it.”

“Who watches Melody while your wife is… busy?”

“We have a nanny watch her most of the afternoon. Unfortunately, Olivia thought we shouldn’t tell Roberta about her being a doll. She had no idea that doll was special.”

“Oh, my.”

“That was a mistake.”

“Is that why you’re telling me your wife’s secret?”

“I suppose it is.”

They sat in silence drinking their coffees for a few moments.

“It’s late and I’m sure it’ll take a few minutes to separate the girls. Tell Olivia I’m going to call her and ask her what it’s like.”

“She available after eight at night and until around noon.”

* * *

At bath time, Melody was overjoyed when Mommy entered the bathroom to help finish her bath. Mommy and Daddy kissed for a long time before he left the bathroom.

He went to her room and adjusted the Doll Stand, Mark II. He put Nanny Dolly on the stand and activated it.

As soon as she was full-size, she said, “Why didn’t you tell me that doll was actually Olivia?”

“You’d have to ask her.”

“I think you should have made that clear when you hired me.”

“I agree with you now. We can discuss this later. I’m sure you need to get home. It’s almost eight PM.”

“Of course. And if anything ever happens to Mommy Dolly in the future, I’ll move Heaven and Earth if I have to, to find her. Although…”

“What?”

“I had a lot of time to think this past day. I should be mad at you but I’ve discovered things I never knew about myself.”

“Oh?”

“Going forward, do you think Melody might enjoy having two dollies?”

Author’s Note: I’m hoping someone will ask me a particular question after reading this. I will only be able to shrug in response. But, hoping for the question is how I keep myself amused