This stemmed from a Creative writing assignment in college about what you would say if you could go back in time and have a conversation with your child self. It's gotten me past a lot of writer's block through the years.

The Barbie dolls were hairless and posed in silent innuendo. She sat in the middle of the floor trying to convince her cancer patient Skipper that someday Ken's head would regenerate, and he'd be 'good as new.'

"Lost it in the war?" I asked.

"Yeah. Mom fwew it away." She didn't turn around.

I took a step closer to the soft, blonde curls I barely remember. "Can I play?

She stared at my open shoes and scooted over to make room. "You can be Wendy." She held out a doll with choppy tufts of hair spiraling around her scalp and what seemed to be an eternal shrug caused by an uncooperative turtleneck.

"Does Wendy have a boyfriend?"

"No. She's a Wez-be-in."

I remembered the inspiration for the doll. Mom had always told me Wendy didn't have a boyfriend, but I had always assumed 'lesbian' was something like a Catholic or a Teacher, just another title I had to remember.

"Oh. Sorry." I wanted to tell her what it meant, but, in seventh grade, Chad would write it on her locker in red permanent marker, and she'd figure it out.

"S'okay." She went about trying to bend Rocker Barbie's stiff plastic arms back into her sequined halter-top. "What's yo-wa name?"

"The same as yours."

She turned her tiny, scarred face up to mine. "Yo-wa name's Wu too?"

"Yeah. Weird, huh?"

Her toys became more interesting than me once more. Ken was bringing the Ferrari around to take Barbie to the club, and Barbie was running late.

She looked so innocent sitting there. Soon she would be jaded and cynical. Soon she would be suicidal.

I wanted to tell her everything. How boys named Andy would always break her heart. How getting Cs in school was not the end of the world. How some people could be trusted, but she'd never know who couldn't until it's too late.

"Hey, can I tell you something?"

She looked up at me as if to say 'ok.'

"No matter what anyone says,its not your fault."