Scarlett hopped her Barbie over to mine. “You look great in that,” she said to my Barbie.
Wow, she’d already mastered an artful lie. “You don’t think it’s too much?” I asked in a high squeaky voice.
Scarlett giggled. “No. It’s the perfect amount. Wait!” She grabbed a winter hat that didn’t match the dress at all. “This’ll make it better.” She pushed it down on my Barbie’s head.
“Thank you!” I squealed. “You look amazing too.”
Scarlett twirled her Barbie around. “Yes I do. Let’s go to the ball.”
We drove around in a pink convertible. Posed for pictures on a red carpet. Scarlett finally handed me the Ken doll. “You be Axel.”
Score.I shook my head. I wasn’t sure why I was so excited to finally be a man. And then I immediately hated every word I’d just said in my head.
“Wait,” Scarlett said. She stole Ken back and put the other Barbie in my hand. “Bathroom emergency.”
Oh no. I hated when she did this. Why did she never give more notice? “Okay, let’s go.” I started to stand up. I went to grab her but she laughed.
“Not me. I don’t need to poo right now.”
Good to know.
“I need to talk to Sophie in the bathroom.”
“Okay.” I sat back down and we hopped over to an empty spot on the carpet.
“I’m sorry I made you wear that dress, Sophie. You look awful in it.”
“What?” I said in a shrill voice. “I look bad?”
Scarlett smiled. “Terrible. Switch with me. I’ll wear it for you.”
“That’s really sweet,” I said in my normal voice and ruffled Scarlett’s hair.
“Axel should like me even when I look silly. Right, Uncle Matt?”
Scarlett rarely ever listened to me. Hence her opening the front door for me again. But she was actually taking this to heart. “Right, kiddo.”
We swapped dresses. And she even pulled the ugly winter hat over her Barbie’s head. “Ready, Sophie?” she asked.
“Ready!” I shrieked.
We walked back into the ballroom and started dancing again.
I grabbed the Ken doll. “I love your dress and your hat,” I said in a deep voice.
“Axel doesn’t sound like that,” she said with a laugh.
His voice was still a little high-pitched. But he’d grow out of that soon. I glanced at the clock on the wall. I’d been playing with Scarlett for over 30 minutes. What the hell were James and Penny doing up there?
“Dance party!” Scarlett yelled. She tossed her Barbie to the side and started shaking her hips.
Apparently the ball had come to us. I stood up and mimicked her moves.
She laughed as I spun her around in a circle.
We kept dancing for another ten minutes before she plopped back down. She started humming to herself as she made Barbie and Ken dance.
I looked over toward the stairs. It had been a really long time. Surely they were at least under the covers by now, right? “I’m gonna go check on your parents. Stay right there, okay?”
