A.J. sat upon his Hotel room floor, hoping to God that no one would walk in and catch him playing Barbies with his little sister. It was one thing for Nick to play Barbies with his sisters – but for A.J. to play Barbies? That was just right down crazy!

“C’n I have da purple dress, pease?” Tesia asked politely. “Barbie wanna wear its.”

A.J. handed her the purple dress. “Would you like purple shoes too, Miss?”

“Yes, Sir!” Tesia giggled, giving him a mock salute.

A.J. gave a small laugh and handed her the purple high heels for Barbie. “There yah go. Now, what shall Ken wear?”

“Nots Ken!” Tesia told him firmly. “It’s Kevy!”

“Oh! Well, excuse me,” A.J. said. “I thought his name was Ken. No one told me you’d changed it. And how is he Kevin without the dark hair and big eyebrows?”

“Caterpillars!” Tesia cried, using her hands to make hers go up and down. “An’ he’s Kevy ‘cause I saids so!”

“Oh, you said so, huh?” A.J. teased, still chuckling at the eyebrow thing she’d done.

Tesia stuck her tongue out at him, smiling when he did the same in return. She dressed her Barbie happily, and was careful not to lose the shoes as she put them on Barbie’s feet.

A.J. held up a suit. “Should – ah – Kevin, wear this?”

“Yes,” Tesia answered. “He gonna marry me!”

“You? I thought he was gonna marry Barbie?” A.J. joshed.

“No. Me,” Tesia replied firmly. “Barbie nots pretty ‘nough.”

“Oh, she’s not, huh?” A.J. said.

“No. Her name yicky,” Tesia informed him.

A.J. chuckled as he got ‘Kevin’ dressed in his suit. “Does he need a tie?”

“Uh-huh,” Tesia nodded. “I gets married in purple. I likes purple.”

“I can see that,” A.J. smiled.

“J.? Why’s they call her Barbie?”

“That’s her nickname, Honey,” A.J. answered. “Her real name is Barbara Millicent. I forget her last name.”

Tesia made a face. “Don’ likes thats name. Barbie better ‘en that.”

“I’ll agree with that,” A.J. nodded.

“J.?”

“Hmm?”

“How comes Barbie’s blond?”

“Because the people who made her think the prettiest, most perfect girls are blond and have blue eyes – and long legs and…”

“Big boobies!” Tesia declared, finishing his sentence for him.

“Yes, those too,” A.J. chuckled.

Tesia frowned. “So I nots pretty ‘nough to be Barbie?”

A.J. tilted her head up, by sticking his fingers under her chin. “Baby, you are the most beautiful, precious little Angel I’ve ever seen or met in my life,” he stated sincerely. “You’re much prettier than Barbie.”

Tesia gave him a satisfied smile – being prettier than Barbie meant a lot, since Barbie was perfect. “I perfect too?”

“Yes, Baby,” A.J. rejoined. “You’re perfect just the way you are.”

Tesia leaned up for a kiss, which he quickly gave to her. She then went back to thinking as she combed Barbie’s hair out. “J.?”

“Yes, Honey?”

“Is Kevy perfect too?”

A.J. stifled a laugh. “Yep. He’s perfect too.”

Tesia really did smile then – this meant her and Kevin would be the perfect couple!

“J.?”

“Hmm?”

“How comes Barbie’s gots a bum, but Kevin’s gots shorts?”

A.J. looked up from putting ‘Kevin’s’ tie on. “What?”

“Looks,” Tesia said, showing him Barbie’s bottom. “She’s gots a bum an’ a bum crack.” She reached over to yank Ken’s pants down. “Kevin’s gots shorts an’ no bum an’ no bum crack. How comes?”

“Oh, boy,” A.J. thought. “She’s already noticing boys are different. Yikes!”

“J.?” Tesia tried again, when he didn’t answer right away. “How comes?”

“Ah – because Kevin likes to wear his bathing suit all the time,” A.J. replied quickly.

“Don’t Barbie likes to wear hers?”

“Yes, but she can’t wear it under a wedding gown, or any other dress, now can she?”

“Buts I wears mine under a dress,” Tesia pointed out. “Why nots Barbie?”

“Barbie just doesn’t like too. She prefers underwear.”

“Barbie don’ts wears hers, so her Daddy can spanks better, rights?”

A.J. shrugged. “I don’t know, Honey. I don’t think Barbie’s Daddy spanks her anymore. She’s too big to be spanked.”

“I ever gonna be too bigs to gets a spank, J.?”

“Sure!” A.J. nodded. “Some day you’ll be too big to spank. Then you’ll just get really long time-outs.”

Tesia made a face. “Don’ts likes time-out. It’s borin’.”

“Yes, well, it’s s’pose to be boring, T.,” A.J. informed her. “You’re not supposed to play when in trouble.”

“Thinks I likes to play more. No trouble,” Tesia stated. “Now, weddin time!”

A.J. gave a small sigh of relief, glad all the questions were over. He yanked ‘Kevin’s’ pants back up. “Okay, wedding time. Am I the priest?”

“Uh-huh,” Tesia nodded. “An’ Kelly’s da flower girl.” She held up her Kelly doll. “She gots flowers too!”

A.J. watched her get Kelly ready to be the flower girl. “She ready now? She does have to walk down the aisle first, yah know.”

“I knows,” Tesia said, making Kelly walk down the imaginary aisle as she sang the Wedding March softly. “Dum, dum, da dum. Dum, dum, da dum…”

A.J. smiled as he watched her. He wished he could keep her with him for always – but management and her parents would never allow it to be so – ever. He knew just so long as she smiled lots while with him, they’d both be fine. There was nothing that made him happier than seeing her face light up with her beautiful little smile. If only he had known what was going on back at her home in Florida – and what was to come - he would’ve demanded to keep her right then and there.