Member-only story
The Day My Father Rescued a Wounded Barbie Doll
One day, my father met a wounded Barbie doll on the side of a busy road. Despite a shocking discovery, that Barbie became a part of our family.
We joke about how our parents walked uphill both ways in the snow. Dad didn’t quite manage that. But in good weather, he used to walk to and from the bus stop instead of parking near it. Just before he got back home, he walked down the sidewalk along York Road in Lutherville, Maryland.
Even then, York Road was a bustling area. The area across from our development was already the home of Heaver Plaza (built between 1969 and 1970), and new office buildings were going up. At the same time, it was a mix of suburban wildlife and construction. Dad must have seen all sorts of things while he walked back from the bus stop. Everything from litter to rabbits to the dandelions my grandmother liked to make into salads. (Her dressing was divine.)
Meet the New Barbie, Not Like the Old Barbie
One day, Dad came home from work and told me he had seen a Barbie doll along the side of York Road near our intersection. He guessed that it must have fallen out of a moving car.
I was young and stupid. So I said something like, “What? And you didn’t bring it to me?!” Half-jokingly. Ish.
Thinking back, of course, I cringe at that. But Dad must have wanted to get in some more fresh air. Because without more begging, he walked back to York Road to find the Barbie doll. He didn’t even ask me to come with him. (I wish I had gone with him just for the together time. But maybe he needed to be alone with this thoughts, such as “Why oh why did I have to mention that doll to her?”)
Not long after, he came back inside and brought the found Barbie back to me.
I was ecstatic. A free Barbie doll! I can’t tell you what year or vintage she was. She had lighter hair, longer in the back. She wasn’t wearing anything fancy, but I remember some kind of blousy thing.
Then, I did what all kids my age did. While Mum and Dad watched, I undressed my newly found Barbie doll. (Celebrity Parents Magazine has a theory about why kids do that. It’s a frequent concern from worried parents. There is even a song called Undress Your…
