Wednesday, February 13, 2008

IT'S ONLY MAKE-BELIEVE


After I dumped my button pals (see yesterday's blog) I had a neighborhood full of make-believe friends. My favorite four were Wiwi Kanini, a French visitor; Jampson T. Bluster, who lived in our alley with her mean big sister Trudy; Schla-Schla Good, a poor child who lived in a drain pipe in our front yard; and Lobbie Geebins, who lived in an elm tree with her brother Rusty and sister Lynn. There were also the three Barnelli sisters and the twins, Madys and Gladys, but they were just acquaintainces, not close buds like the Fab Four.

I remember talking aloud to my make-believe friends, complaining to them about my real older brother and sister. The imaginary ones had their own phantom gripes to share. Mainly, though, we just played in the yard or raced bikes together. I always won, of course.

The make-believe bunch were no secret to my real family. I don't know at what point I told them, or why, but my mom and siblings all knew about my gang of pretend pals. I don't even recall being teased much about them. My mom had her own make-believe friends, Doris and Dorlee, when she was a little girl, and my brother had his miniature Johnny glow-in-the-dark doll, so I guess they figured it was okay to have conversations with the air. Eventually, though, the make-believe friends made way for real ones. Real ones are much better.

4 comments:

Dusti said...

Make believe is wonderful. For me it was everything from cooking wonderful pies for my mother from the moss that grew behind the garage, to playing elaborate Barbie things with Jamie, to her and I having make-believe days out in the back yard where we were either beautiful princesses or we were being chased by the bad guys or both. And then when we were old enough to tae our make believe and big imaginations on long walks along the creek on the east side of town, there was our own Terabithia we created with its own story. Ahh, good times.

Hey, enjoy Toronto Lake this Valentines. Wave hello to our old house as you drive through town, and Jamie's across the street!

Sarah said...

Dusti, you need to start a personal blog on blogger. Your such a good writer. (peer presure) Come on...join the gang! ;)

Nancy Evans said...

Yeah, Dusti. Come on! --You said "old house" ---are your folks no longer living on the main drag????

Dusti said...

I don't know if you'll see this comment so long after but I just read back that you'd asked about my folks. They're still there in the same old house! Glad you enjoyed your trip!

Dusti