A Doll of Hope

Chapter 3

When Christie woke up, it was almost nine thirty. Stretching her arms high over her head, she let out a loud groan.

"Man, morning already? It feels like I stayed up all night." Just then, she looked over at her dresser where her purse was. Sticking out at the top was the ticket she got from RJ.

"Eek! The park! I almost forgot!" She quickly jumped out of bed and got herself straightened up for the day. Looking at herself in the mirror, she was wearing her long black jeans and a purple shirt with a picture of a yellow cat's face in the middle.

"Well, it's probably not the ideal outfit for my first visit to the park, but it's the best I can do." With that said, she went through her purse to make sure she had everything she needed.

"Let's see. I've got my ticket, my hair brush, my sunglasses, my wallet, and of course Maria. That should do it." Just before she headed out the door, she peaked into the other room to check on her father. He was still out like a light. Letting out a sigh, she headed out the door. Walking down the stairs, she met Miss Monica who was sweeping the floor.

"Good morning, Miss Monica."

"Good morning, dear. Where are you going to this lovely day?"

"I'm going to meet my friends at the amusement park."

"Oh how wonderful! When I was your age that was one of my favorite places to hang out. Only are you planning on wearing your hair down like that?" Christie ran her hands through her hair.

"Why? Is something wrong with it?"

"No it's not like that dear. It's just that some rides can get very windy and for girls who have long hair like you, their hair tends to fly all over the place. That's why it's a good idea to wear your hair up like a ponytail or a braid."

"Huh, I never thought of that. I suppose that does make sense. Only thing is I lost the only hair tie I had a few days ago. I've looked everywhere and haven't been able to find it." Miss Monica smiled as she reached up and took hers out.

"Here, take one of mine dear. I have tons of them." Christie smiled as she took the tie and pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

"Thank you, ma'am. That does feel much better."

"My pleasure, dear. You have fun at the park."

"I will. Thank you!" Christie waved goodbye as she ran out the door. The park was a good distance away so Christie decided to take the bus to get there. After driving for about a half hour, the bus stopped at the closest parking place to the park. As soon as Christie got off the bus, she could hear the sounds of the rides running and children screaming.

"Wow, I've never been this close to the park before. It's even louder than I thought it would be."

"Hey Chris!" She heard someone shout. She turned to the side to see Bethany and RJ waving.

"Hey guys!" She smiled as she ran up to them.

"What took you so long? We were starting to think you'd forgotten." Bethany teased. Christie let out a laugh.

"Sorry, got up a little later than planned." RJ smiled.

"Well, now that you're here, shall we get going?"

"Yeah!" Bethany and Christie cheered as they rushed to the entrance.

For the next couple hours, Christie had the time of her life. The wild and crazy rides; the yummy junk food; having a blast with her friends. It was like a dream come true. She couldn't remember ever having this much fun. By early afternoon, Christie felt like she had enough fun to last three lifetimes.