Play, Long Island, 2006. John Saponara.
Ebay Listing: Vintage 1981 Pink & Pretty Mattel BarbiE
Sage Tyrtle
Condition: Fair
Price: USD $15.00
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In fair used condition with some damage (see below). Pet-free home. This was my daughter Amber's birthday present the year she turned 8 and she played with it a lot! (See my other items for sale, if you like toys from the 1980s!)
CLOTHES:
Please note that Barbie's net skirt has a cigarette burn (not from my daughter, ha ha, from my late husband Stan) but it's on the back so if you don't turn her around you won't see it. Her feather boa is still fluffy and her pink hot pants are still shiny even after 43(!) years! It took ages to find her hat (it was shoved in the back of the closet) but the wire holds true and the fur trim is bright white.
HAIR:
I have to confess, Amber did cut Barbie's hair. Oh, I was so mad! I came in and there she was with the safety scissors and poor Barbie looked like one of those, you know, and I said, "Amber! Why would you do that?" and she said, "I wanted her to have short hair," and I’ll tell you what, I said, "Amber, we don’t have a money tree growing out back for whenever you feel like ruining your toys," and then I made sure she couldn't sit down for a week. Anyway, Barbie's hair is cut short. I tried to trim it a little to make it prettier, but I think I made it worse.
BODY:
There's some big purple spots on her legs and arms, but her clothes cover them fine. I tried to wash the spots off with some dish soap and water, but no luck. I guess Amber must have gotten into her dad's desk and got one of his permanent markers is why they're so hard to get out. This Barbie is still tons of fun for a little girl to play with, though! Anyway, I'm putting Barbie up for sale because after Stan passed I thought, well, this place is too big for just me, but you can't sell a house without emptying it. So yesterday I made myself open Amber's door. First time since 1987. I walked in and stood there listening to the birds outside her window and had to remind myself that they were not the same birds. They were different birds. When she ran away right before her senior year, she left a note promising to be good. She took her backpack and the $247 I had tucked in my sewing basket where I knew Stan would never look. And aside from the messages she'd leave sometimes with my sister to say she was okay, I never heard from her again. Not once. Not ever. Anyway. The Barbie is in fair condition like I said. Not very well taken care of. But loved. Loved more than anything in the whole, wide world.
NO RETURNS.
Sage Tyrtle's work is available in New Delta Review, The Offing, Lunch Ticket, and Apex, among others. She is the author of the novella The King of Elkport. Her words have been featured on NPR, CBC, and PBS and she's been nominated for Pushcart and Best American Short Stories. Read more at www.tyrtle.com