For Sale: Barbie's Dream House

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the for sale sign on the house around the corner from my Dad's. Most would probably not even notice the humble, yellow ranch house with the black shutters. I'm sure there are many others out there just like it. But to me it was so much more. For it had once been the the home of my childhood friend, Debbie. And it was also the birthplace of our girlhood dreams.
Though she and I were a year apart in age, we were inseparable. We walked to and from school together every day. On weekends we had giggly sleepovers and went to church together. We loved riding our bikes, the Beatles, and Barbie.
Oh, how we lived our fantasies through those Barbies. They drove around in pink convertibles and shopped at Saks Fifth Avenue and on Carnaby Street. Our Barbies not only dated Ken, but also our brothers' GI Joes, and John, Paul, George, and Ringo. They lived in beautiful dream houses and wore beautiful clothes. It was the kind of life we hoped to have someday.
When we weren't playing Barbies, we would ride our bikes. We made big plans for the future. Like riding our bikes to California as soon as we finished high school. And we would get jobs and an apartment there. We would have a yellow kitchen and a peach bathroom. And of course, we would drive a convertible.
But sadly, Debbie moved to a city a few miles away when I was eleven years old. We still kept in touch, but things had changed. The Barbie days were over. The bike rides turned into bus rides and we only saw each other on weekends. Sometimes she would stay for a few weeks during the summer. Things pretty much continued this way until we were in high school.
And then it happened. The one thing that would finally come between us. Sometime during the summer of '72 we both met our "Kens". We slowly drifted apart, maybe just seeing each other a few times a year, or at weddings and funerals. I guess it had to end sometime. The Beatles had already broken up, even Barbie and Ken would eventually call it quits. Perhaps he heard about her escapades with GI Joe and the Fab Four.
Anyway, I wanted that house! I had been thinking of moving but I just hadn't found the right house yet and I was sure this was it. This place held so many memories, not to mention our secret hiding place from the Martians, if they ever decided to invade the Earth. So when I got home I checked it out on the realtor's web site and I have some sad news. It's "under contract". Apparently, it's also someone else's dream house.
And maybe it was God's way of telling me that our dreams are in our hearts, not in places from our past. They've always been there, waiting for us to rediscover them. Maybe that's the reason I painted my kitchen yellow and my bathroom peach. And could it also be the reason why Debbie wrote this in a recent Christmas card: "Remember when we talked about riding our bikes to California?"
So it's quite possible that one day you may see two middle-aged Barbies peddling west on Route 66. Or perhaps we'll be cruising by in a pink convertible. And if you do spot us, please don't forget to wave.
And cheer up Barbie, I also have some good news for you: Paul McCartney is once again available!