Galobaset

I don't know what it says about me that I was thinking about her today.
But I was.

She was the first friend I really remember.
I think we were both five.
And she was the PERFECT friend for 5-yr old Laurel.

She was from Mexico originally. She lived with her mom up on the hill behind Donlon Elementary (the school across the street from our house). I never met her mom and I don't remember anything else about the rest of her family. She didn't go to Donlon Elementary. But, I remember the first time she came to the house, her mom had sprained her ankle (interestingly enough, my mom had recently sprained HER ankle) and she needed somewhere to be. She was feeling lonely (interestingly enough, I was feeling lonely too).

We played together a lot.
But, always at my house.
I never went to hers.

She would ring the doorbell. I would open the door and invite her in. And then we would go back to my room to play with my "baby-that-away" (the doll with batteries that crawled, remember? I'm pretty sure this doll created my fear of dolls. The picture says it all, doesn't it?)
or build a blanket fort or play with the Fisher-Price people. I loved it when she came. We could play together for hours...never fighting...never even really talking much. We didn't have to. We played really well together. It lasted for a year...maybe a little longer. I don't remember exactly.

But, I do remember the day when my mom told me we probably couldn't play together anymore. Mom said something about me needing to be outside more...I needed to play with other kids..."real" kids. It was time for me to say good-bye to my perfect friend...so perfect that it was like she was right out of my imagination.
Yes, right out of my imagination.

(Come on...admit it! You had an imaginary friend too, right?)