Elm Creek: A Readymade Family, Volume 2

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THREE

Charity’s parents didn’t bring up the doll or ask that she return it after that day, so she soon forgot about her parents’ discomfort about Kevin’s gift. She was so happy with the new toy that she invited Missy to come over the very next day so they could play with it together.

“I have a new doll,” she told her. “Want to come to my house and play?”

Missy’s eyes lit up. Similar to Charity’s circumstances, she rarely received new toys and her parents were just as unlikely as to be able to afford a doll like the one Kevin had given Charity as her own parents were.

“Yeah!”

“Can I come, too?” Jake asked. Unlike the rest of the boys in the class, he didn’t seem to mind being pulled into more girl-themed games like tea parties, house, and play weddings. As long as he was included in Charity’s and Missy’s games, he was willing to do almost anything.

Charity nodded. “Sure.”

The three children had been visiting each other’s homes since they were in diapers. It was so commonplace they didn’t even take the time to ask their parents like they did if they wanted to go to the house of a classmate; instead, the mother of whoever they were visiting would call to let their parents know.

So that afternoon when Serenity arrived to escort Charity home, both Missy and Jake were ready to accompany them.

“We’re coming, too, Aunt Serenity,” Jake said.

“I’m going to play with Charity’s new doll,” Missy added.

Again, Charity saw that uncomfortable expression she’d seen yesterday flash across her mother’s face but then she hid it behind a smile. “Let’s go then.”

As soon as they arrived at the house, Serenity made calls to both Jake’s and Missy’s homes to let their mothers know where they were. After Charity was changed, all three children were given a peanut butter and jam sandwich and then sent off to play.

Charity led her friends to her room and showed Missy the doll.

Missy was as mesmerized as Charity had been when she’d first seen it. “Wow...” she breathed. “It’s so pretty!”

Jake was less amazed. “Looks like any other doll to me.” He wandered away to Charity’s bookshelf, pulling out the box of blocks. “Can I play with your blocks?”

“Okay.” He didn’t seem interested or enthusiastic enough to play with her and Missy with the new doll.

While Jake sat himself in a corner with the container of building blocks, Charity and Missy sat on the bed with the doll between them. Since Charity had already played with the doll plenty yesterday, she allowed Missy to be the one to hold it and rock it.

“Did your daddy buy it?” Missy asked.

Charity shook her head. “It was a present. The boy from the park gave it to me.”

“What boy?” Jake asked, showing he was listening, even if he was playing with something else.

“Kevin,” Charity said. “He got me the doll because he wanted me to like him.”

“That’s silly,” Jake said. “Whoever heard of buying someone stuff just to make them like you? You just have to be nice and share with them.”

His words voiced Charity’s own understanding of how the world worked and how friendships began. “I know. He was kind of weird.”

“You’re not supposed to like someone for stuff they give you,” Missy said wisely. “It’s selfish.”

Charity and Jake nodded their agreement with the imparted wisdom.