All Grown Up

All Grown Up
(536 words)

When I was eleven years old, going on twelve, I thought I was all grown up. My first Christmas as an 'almost adult' is one of my favorite and most vivid memories.

My parents were gone. I had two brothers who lived with our maternal grandparents. I lived with my mother's sister who had two children of her own. She and my Uncle treated me all right, not special in any way but not abusive either. Most days, I was just there in the background. I tried to be pleasing so as not to be sent away which was one of my great fears because a few of my uncles and cousins had told me that's what happened to orphans no one wanted. I tried to watch my steps and not get in anyone's way. I offfered to help anyone in any way I could, and so life went on.

On this Christmas, though, they managed to make me feel very special. They somehow had picked up on the fact that I was all grown up. When I opened my gifts, intead of the doll and underwear I usually got, I received some special gifts. In one box was a pair of shiny black paten shoes. They had two-inch heels and, on the top, was a big gray and black ribbon made of material that did not fray. They were beautiful, more beautiful I thought than Dorothy's red slippers. I received a box suit, a pencil thin skirt with a little jacket that ended at the waist. And, best of all, I received a tube of lipstick. It was a clear pink, but it was a real lipstick. My hair was very long, and I received a set of beautiful hair combs to match the color of the suit. I also received the regulation doll which I loved in secret so people wouldn't think I wasn't mature enough.

After we cleared out all the wrappings and other junk and put our 'stuff' away, we had breakfast. Then we got dressed up to go visiting. Each year, we would dress up in our best clothes and go to the relatives' houses, beginning with my grandmother's house. It was great fun to see what all the cousins got from Santa or even who still believed in Santa.

Everywhere we went that day, I was told, "How grown up you look. Are those high heeled shoes? What beautiful hair combs." I was so very happy, and I felt like I grew another inch taller that day. After the visiting and dinner, we older kids were driven to the local theatre where I saw a 'jungle' movie. That was the ending to a perfect day. We had to be grown up to see the jungle movies. And this one just happened to be the first movie done in 3D where one wore glasses to see the up-close and real-appearing scenes. A boy in the seat before me ducked his head when a spear was thrown by the natives in the movie. I managed not to duck.

The day ended after saying goodbye to my cousins, carefully putting my doll in her protective box, putting up my special clothes and getting into my baby-doll pajamas. After finding my ratty teddy bear, I went to sleep and dreamed of days gone by like most older people do.