You can’t possibly imagine how excited we all are here in Whimsieville! We are adopting a new Whimsie!! And not only that, she’s not just any old Whimsie, but I’m fairly certain she’s a friend of mine from long, long ago!
Let me calm down here for just a moment and see if I can relate the details as they happened. As you know, all of us Whimsies came here to Whimsieville by way of the E Bay Adoption Agency. Miss Chrissy started looking at Whimsies, and first she found Tessie (who was an old friend of hers, from long, long ago) and then she found Trixie, and finally me. One by one, our adoptions were set up, paperwork was processed, and we were each sent on our journey to our new home.
Miss Chrissy has always maintained that Whimsieville is just about as full of Whimsies as need be, but still, she continues to look at the E Bay Adoption Agency’s website, to see what Whimsies are up for adoption. We asked her why, and here’s what she said: One, because she just likes looking at Whimsies, and Two, because you never know when a Whimsie might come up for adoption that for one reason or another would make a wonderful addition to our little family. She’s not actively looking to adopt another Whimsie, but if all the signs are pointing in the right direction, she would consider it.
Well, this past week, I happened to look over Miss Chrissy’s shoulder while she was visiting the Adoption Agency on the computer, and my jaw dropped and I gasped as I had never gasped before! Never in a million years did I expect that I would ever again see Trudi or Tootsie, my two Whimsie friends from way back, when Jennifer and I used to go over and play at her friend Patty’s house, or they would come over to play with us. But there, before my very eyes, on the computer screen, was a Whimsie who looked for all the world like my old friend Tootsie.
Of course, in some ways she looked just like Tootsie…light brown eyes, two cute little ponytails, that ever-present smile…but what was she wearing? The Tootsie I knew was such a tomboy! She loved to run and climb trees, and could usually be found wearing “dungarees.” (Back then, blue jeans were called “dungarees.”) But this Whimsie was dressed up all pretty in a cream-colored dress with a green silky bow. The Tootise I knew never ever wore dresses! You can’t climb a tree in a dress! You can’t play kickball in a dress, and even hopscotch is a lot more difficult in a dress.
But then suddenly, as my mind traveled back to those wonderful, whimsical days of long ago, I seemed to remember something. Tootie had once told me a big secret, that “Tootsie” was not her real name. It was only a nickname that Patty had given her, because she loved to go outside after the rain and run around barefoot in the wet grass till here “tootsies” were completely refreshed by the cool rainwater. It’s sort of an odd behavior, because in general, though most Whimsies are not totally terrified of water (like Trixie), still…it’s not a Whimsie’s favorite thing. But Tootsie liked to live dangerously.
As I looked at the picture of this Whimsie and wondered if it could possibly my same friend from long ago, it suddenly came back to me that Tootsie had told me what her real name was. It was…Thelma…. or Temperance …or Tallulah …or something else like that, which sounded very fancy, and totally did not fit her personality.
But then I reflected…well, sometimes people change, don’t do? And Whimsies…do they change too? Was my old friend Tootsie now a proper lady, happy to wear a dress? Well, I have no problems with dresses. I like dresses as much as I like blue jeans, or dungarees, or sweat pants, or whatever other kinds of clothes one might wear. And even though I never supported Tootsie’s penchant for climbing trees and running around barefoot in the wet grass, we could still be friends (as long as she didn’t expect me to join her in these outrageous behaviors–which she didn’t.)
But then again…maybe Tootsie had not changed at all, and she was just dressed up all fancy like this to make a good impression at the Adoption Agency. There are occasions when it’s appropriate to put on your “Sunday Best,” and this would certainly be one of those occasions.
I spent many hours looking at this picture at the Adoption Agency, and told Miss Chrissy the whole story, and went back and forth wondering and wondering if this could possibly be my old friend. At times I would look at her and be totally convinced this was Tootsie, and other times, pretty well convinced this was not her.
Miss Chrissy saw how perplexed I was and felt bad, and went so far as to email the Adoption Agency to see if they could reveal the name of this Whimsie. The reply was that her name was not known. That was very disappointing news.
Later on I found out that because she did not want to increase my disappointment, Miss Chrissy secretly began the adoption paperwork on this Whimsie. She kept it a secret, because sometimes the adoption works out, and sometimes it does not, and she didn’t want me to get my hopes up in case it didn’t work out. But a few days more passed, and then…guess what? Miss Chrissy came to me and said, “Tillie, I have a surprise for you. You know that Whimsie at the Adoption Agency you feel pretty certain is your old friend Tootsie, but nobody knows her name for sure? Well, you yourself are going to get to ask her what her name is, because she’s coming to live here with us in Whimsieville!”
I was overjoyed to hear this!! Whether she is in fact my old friend Tootsie, or whether she is in fact Tootsie, but has changed so drastically that she now prefers dresses to dungarees, or even if this is not Tootsie at all, but some other Whimsie who just looks like her—no matter what happens, we have a new friend coming here to live with us!!
I guess I should also mention that Tessie and Trixie have been in on this the whole time, and they are equally excited. But not as excited as I am!! We have only a few more days, and so much to do to get Whimsieville all spruced up for our new friend’s arrival. Whether this Whimsie ends up being my old friend or simply a new friend, it’s always a wonderful thing to welcome in more friends!
