Friends From Another Dimension

At age seven, the people with whom I shared a one-bedroom apartment found me to be an irritant. My sister drew a line and in our relationship and warned me not to cross it, my mother's sensitive nervous system was challenged by me, and Hazel, the no-nonsense boss of our 900 square foot space, didn't like kids, which didn't bode well for hyper-active me.

Because of my “perceived” low ranking within a closed environment of real people I created alliances with imaginary friends from another dimension--a magical and enchanted place that existed for my stability and well being only. If you were a good person, they looked upon you favorably and would protect you from harm. There were those who lived in this enchanted place who you would expect and some you wouldn’t; it was crowded. All the good fairies from the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale books were there as was Jesus, Santa Claus, and, of course, Prince Charming.  In this fantasy world that I had created, I was a beautiful and good princess with an entourage; in this place, I was special.

My very earliest notion of rescue and Prince Charming, around the age of nine, offered me the promise of happily ever after, but I'd have to wait for him to find me.

My invisible allies used their combined power to pick me up, prop me up, plant my feet firmly on the ground, and give me courage to face those who wanted to knock me back down and break my youthful spirit. But then, one by one they started to leave me. At age nine, Santa disappeared POOF! Just like that. Gone.

One ally was all that was left from my army of sentinels. My support system was down to one: Jesus. But was he enough to protect me from and give me strength against the forces that were not looking out for my best interests?

But wait! There was another ally who lived in another dimension, my future, and if I believed in his existence, he would someday materialize into flesh and blood.  He would be a real person in real time who would see my value, and he would love, honor, cherish, protect, and he would take care of me. My Prince Charming was out there waiting for me. All I had to be was good enough for him and he would find me.

Nine.  Not yet. There's laws, ya know.

Twelve. Nope, too young still. Read some more fairytale books while you wait.

Fourteen. No. Don't be so impatient.

Fifteen. He's out there; relax. No, he's not in your Spanish class, and his name is not Mike Nickels. You don't get to choose.

Sixteen. You're gonna have to do something about your looks. Prince Charming likes pretty girls, ya know.

Seventeen. You're pretty on the inside, but you still have some work to do on the outside.

Eighteen. He's just around the corner. Have you seen a doctor about those pimples? 

Nineteen. There he is!! See him? Oops! Sorry. False alarm. You can take the cotton balls out of your bra now.

Twenty. I'm pretty sure that's him in the blue corvette. Prop up your boobs. Take off your glasses. Put some lipstick on. Prince Charming likes pretty girls, ya know.

And so it was true after all. I had believed in Prince Charming since the age of nine. He wasn't a figment of my imagination, a fairytale fantasy, or an ally from a different dimension. He was flesh and blood and sitting in the driver's seat of a blue Corvette, and he had come to rescue me.

1966 - Prince Charming has arrived