My First Real Barbie

Thirty minutes can seem like days to a four year old. In 1974 I sat with my knees planted like glue on a pukey looking olive green couch. It had three wide cushions that were covered with a swirly velvet material. I felt like I was kneeling on a green colored cloud. The back of the couch faced a large window that devoured the radiance of the morning sun.
I stared through the window at the curving gravel road that led to the main highway. I had no idea that this would be the last time I would sit on this pile of fluff. My little hazel eyes gazed at the dusty road with the excitement and anticipation that I was less than thirty minutes away from meeting the person that would change my small world forever.
Dust rolled from the tires like smoke coming from a raging fire. The 1975 Ford pick-up was the color of a fresh blinding snow, with one solid black stripe stretching front to back on both sides. The interior was the color of a newly found - garnet. I thought the truck was the most astonishing thing I had ever seen. Then this Barbie doll - like figure stepped out.
She wore her hair high on her head in a bouffant / beehive style. Every light auburn strand seemed to know its place. Her make-up covered her face lightly as if she had been kissed by the morning sun. The light shades of tans and browns accented her sapphire eyes. The copper lipstick enshrined every supple part and line of her lips.
I was in such a hurry to go outside, I hadn’t noticed I had put my coat on upside down. Once my coat was on correctly, I opened the tall towering door and stepped out onto the porch. The breezy air and the scent of what could have been a thousand roses exhilarated my tiny nasal cavities. For a moment they both left me breathless.
This cherubic figure wore a white polyester top with a tangerine jacket and skirt. The ensemble hugged every curve. Though the skirt was short it accented her long slender build. She looked as if she had jumped off the front page of a magazine.
She carried herself with such poise and dexterity, I swear the purpose of her high hair was to hold the halo I saw that day as she approached the porch where I stood in awe. She seemed to float across the yard as if she had wings. When she stopped in front of me she smiled the most radiant smile I had ever seen. It was like my body had captured the sun to warm my soul.
Looking at me with such adoration, she held out her hand and said in a soft voice, “Let’s go home.”
This astonishing lady changed my small world forever, when on this particular day she became the woman I now call “Mom.” To this day, I feel she is the most divine and devoted person I know. She still carries herself with extreme poise and dexterity. I will always be grateful for the day my adoption became final. I was finally home.