Always a Bride!

 

On a Saturday morning in 1958 my Aunt Da (nickname for Dorothy) knocked on my door. She was wearing a beige and herring bone skirt and matching jacket. Her beige short sleeve blouse had a Peter Pan collar.

 

She wore my favorite necklace of hers. It was a gold braided miniature handbag. It hung from a barrel style chain. As far back as I can remember I was always mesmerized by it. I couldn’t wait to see if she would wear it that day for our big adventure into New York City.

My Aunt Da had a very distinctive classic style and panache at least in my eyes. We were going on an adventure, just the two of us. She was buying me a Brides Doll at Macys on Herald Square. Move over Coronation, this was huge. 

It was my very first train ride, my first visit to the Big Apple.

We were still living in Brooklyn in a two story house and she and my Uncle Morty lived downstairs. My aunt was my mother’s older sister. We adored one another and boasted our relationship throughout her lifetime. She did not have children when my sister and I were 7 and 5 and a 1/2.

We were her first “girls” and she always reminded us of that in the most loving of ways. My full name is Judith Toby. She always called me Judy Toby. 

I barely slept the night before, our shopping excursion. 

My excitement was palpable. I laid out my navy blue skirt and red sweater. I opened up my new white blouse and made sure all the straight pins were removed. Oh boy, I can still remember the butterflies in my stomach and my new hair clip that kept my forever bangs out of my eyes. 

She picked me up so we could take the early train in and get there when the store opened. If I had to define an experience in my childhood that helped me understand the expression “the cats meow,” this was it. 

We held hands as we sat side by side on the train. I remember looking up and seeing all these advertisements above the seats that read “if you need an attorney” call so and so. The ride was exciting and once we got into Manhattan we counted the number of stops until we reached our destination. Was this heaven on earth or what? I thought to myself. We took the escalator up to the 7th floor. I remember hoping my aunts beige creamy leather high heeled pumps would not get stuck in the thick wooden plains that lined the escalator stairs. We rounded the corner once we stepped off the escalator to a wide expanse of board games, stuffed animals and Dolls. 

A salesperson walked over to us and asked if we wanted assistance. My aunt replied, “ please show us to the section with Bride Dolls.” 

 

As I am recounting this grand memory I am teary eyed with joyful nostalgia.

What could equal this feeling of excitement in being able to have one of these breathtaking dolls adorned from head to toe in wedding garb? 

I chose a blond, blue eyed doll. She was wearing a shimmering ivory wedding gown. She had a taffeta laced veil covering her head, tiny pearl earrings and held a bouquet of silk roses. Her painted smile looked at me as though we would be best friends and I would be her maid of honor. I named her Margery after the main character on the My Little Margie show. 

To top the day off we went for lunch at Chock full of Nuts and ordered the nutted cheese on date nut bread  sandwiches. My aunt had a cup of their “heavenly coffee.”

All through my life my Aunt Da and I were very close. When my cousins, her girls, Bev and Joyce came along she still referred to me as her first born. She lived until the age of 93. Our bond started with the my little Margie Doll and when she died she left me amongst other things her gold basket weave miniature necklace. 

Aunt Da I am wearing it today as I tell our beautiful story. Love, Judy Toby