Cindy was up early the next morning. She watched me sleep for a while before taking her shower and getting dressed. When I finally woke up, it was well after eleven. “ELEVEN” I gasped. I never sleep past seven-thirty I thought to myself.

My body felt raw, stiff, it hurt so much to move I just wanted to go back to sleep. As I tried to sit up, Cindy walked in and gave me a huge smile as she told me good morning. I said good morning back to her and forced a smile thru my pain as I finally made it to a sitting position.

She placed her hand down next to me and told me to climb on. I crawled into her palm and she could sense something was wrong with me.

“What’s wrong, squirt?” she asked.

“I just feel sore all over” I replied. “I guess they did a number on me last night.”

“Are you sure? I mean, does anything feel broken?” she said as she leaned in close and began examining me.

“I’ll be fine Cindy, I just need a few days rest and I’ll be good as new.” She knew I was lying but what else could she do.

She carried me to the living room and placed me very gently on the sofa and brought me something to eat. When I was finished she asked me if I wanted to open any of my presents. I told her yes, if it wasn’t keeping her from anything she needed to be doing. She laughed and told me she was taking a few days off to be with me and to make sure I was alright.

She picked me up and carried me to the kitchen and on the table were the most presents I had ever seen. She began taking the name tag off of each present and put it in a bowl telling me I would have to send a “thank you card” to everyone who gave me something.

Mostly all I got were doll-clothes. I guess it’s hard to buy for someone that is only 3 inches tall. But there were some other good gifts. There was furniture, a few toys and someone had even given me a swimming pool with a diving board attached to it. I guess on a regular scale, the pool would’ve been 3 feet up to 8 feet deep. I spent a lot of time swimming in there.

Cindy finally told me I had one gift left to see. She picked me up and took me to her guest room and sat me down in front of the biggest doll house I had ever seen. “This is my gift to you” she said smiling at me. The house was huge. It had 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, kitchen, living room, den, front and back porch, attic and a basement. “Go inside and look around” she said as she sat watching me stare at the house. When I entered the front door, the first thing I saw hanging over the fireplace was a picture of my mother holding me just days before she passed away.

I turned around and looked at Cindy and looked back at the picture. “How did you? I mean…when did you?” was all I could get out of my mouth.

“I saw the picture in a photo album at your house and asked your dad if it would be ok to have it copied for you” she said.

I ran to her crying. Thanking her for everything. She began crying too. As sore as I was, I didn’t say a word when she picked me up and began rubbing my back with her thumb trying to calm me down.

The next several months were great. Me, Cindy and my dad took a trip to Bermuda. It was actually fun playing around in the sand. Cindy warned me not to venture too far from them because the birds would think I was food. Needless to say, I was always within an arms reach from her on the beach.

There was another family vacationing there that lived about 30 miles from us. They had a daughter, Debbie, who was 18. She had short blonde hair, beautiful big blue eyes and she was 5’1” and a knock-out. When we were all introduced one night at dinner, Debbies’ dad, Frank, and her mother, Sonya basically stared at me the whole time. Finally, Sonya asked my dad and Cindy to go out with them on a luncheon cruise the next day and that Debbie could take care of me until they returned.

Cindy seemed uneasy about it at first as did I but my dad said that would be a great idea. He looked at me and told me I never get to spend any time with kids my own age and this would give me that chance. Debbie didn’t seem too thrilled about having to baby-sit a 3 inch sixteen year old all day either.

Then it’s settled, Sonya said. We’ll stop by around 10am in the morning to get you two.

That’s when I spoke up. “Dad? What if Debbie has other plans? No one has bothered to ask her if she was doing anything tomorrow?”

That’s when Frank interrupted. “Her only plans for tomorrow are to spend it with you little-guy.” He looked over at Debbie with a stern look on his face. “Isn’t that right, sweet-heart?”

“Yes daddy” she said in a not to convincing tone.

After we ate and went back to our room Cindy tried convincing my dad to let me go with them the next day. I heard them arguing from the other room. My dad told her it would be nice to just have a “grown-ups-only-day” for a change. She tried getting him to keep his voice down but he didn’t listen to her. I heard him explaining to her how they needed time alone and away from me and with Pearl in the rest home there wasn’t anyone to leave me with so they could be together. Cindy just rolled her eyes at him and stormed out of the room. When she came into the room I was in she nearly stepped on me. Her foot crashed into the carpet right beside of me causing me to fall across her pinky toe and the one beside of it. As she lifted her foot to take another step I rolled off of it landing on the rough carpet below and looking up I saw her foot hovering above me and her looking down.

“I’m sorry” she apologized. “I wasn‘t watching were I was going.”

“It’s ok Cindy, I’m fine.” I told her.

She reached down and picked me up and carried me to the couch with her where we both fell asleep watching tv.

The next morning there was a knock at the door. It was Frank. He was there to get dad and Cindy. Cindy looked behind him and down the hallway and asked where Sonya was at. Frank explained she wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be going with us today. He told us that Sonya suffers from severe migraines and had taken her medicine and was resting. But she wanted me to apologize to you for her and hopes she can make it to dinner tonight.

Cindy had an uneasy feeling about all of this and tried getting out of the luncheon. She even told my dad to just have a “guys-day” between him and Frank but neither of them would take no for an answer. Finally she gave up and grabbed her purse and me and we went to Franks room. There on the sofa was Debbie eating popcorn and watching tv. Cindy set me on the coffee table and told her to take very good care of me, and with that, Cindy gave her a very harsh look letting her know she meant it. Debbie told her I’d be fine and she wouldn’t let me out of her sight.

Debbie looked at me sort of funny for a few minutes before picking me up and asking me all sorts of questions. I answered as many as I could but it seemed like she was asking me another one before I could finish answering the last one. Finally she asked me if I would like to go to the beach with her. (like I had a choice) She jumped up and grabbed her bag and we were heading to the door when her mom came in.

“Debbie?” “where are you going? Sonya asked. “I thought you were supposed to be watching the little boy?”

“I am, mom. We’re going down to the beach for a few hours.”

“You go, they didn’t give you permission to take him out, did they?” Sonya said. “He can stay here with me while you enjoy your vacation.”

“But mom, what about your head-ache?” Debbie asked.

“He’ll be fine. He can watch tv in my room and if I fall asleep at least he won’t be able to get into any trouble.” and looking at me in Debbies hand she smiled saying “isn’t that right?”

“UH, yes ma’am” was all I could get out.

Debbie handed me over to her mom and told her she wouldn’t be gone for more then a few hours. Sonya kissed her on the cheek and told her to have fun. Debbie left and Sonya closed and locked the door and told me we had some mutual friends.