The Never-Forgotten Doll

The doll in the window

Later that night, Mom said, " Saturday is Miss Maggie's birthday. Why don't you and I bake her a cake and bring it over there?"
"Oh, Mom, that's perfect!" I said. "Miss Maggie was sad today, and that's just the thing to cheer her up!"
The next day after school, I found an even better thing. I was walking to Miss Maggie's, just like always, when I saw a doll in the window of Mr. Mullingan's Collectibles. She looked really old and she had on a white lacy dress. Her hair was blond, not brown, and there was no pink satin ribbon, but I thought Miss Maggie might like her anyway.
I went in and asked Mr. Mullingan, "The doll in the window---do her eyes open and close?"
Mr. Mullingan said, "Yes, they do. But that's not a doll for little girls like you. That's an antique. Grown-ups collect them."
"Oh, it's not for me. I want to buy that doll for my friend, Miss Maggie," I explained
"That's an awfully expensive present. Maybe Miss Maggie would like one of these embroidered hankies instead." Mr. Mullingan held up a dumb white handkerchief with flowers on it.
"How much for the doll?" I asked him in my most grown up voice.
"Well, she's not in the best shape. I suppose I could let you have her for thirty-five dollars."
My eyes bugged out about a mile. Where would I ever get thirty-five dollars?

That night, I tried Mom. "May I have thirty-five dollars to buy Miss Maggie a present?" I asked, real casual.
Mom laughed. "It's sweet that you want to buy a gift for your friend. But I'm sure the birthday cake we're making will be enough."
I begged and pleaded, but the best I could get out of Mom was: "If you really want to give Miss Maggie a gift that badly, we'll go shopping Saturday morning. But we can't afford to spend thirty-five dollars. I'm sorry, darling, but we just can't."