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.
