Lemonade

“You two look sad” Mandy said to Charlotte and Jolena when she came into the room.

“I want to learn to dance,” said Jolena, “but it’s so hard. I knew I had to study and practice, and I have.” 

“What have you learned so far?” Mandy asked.

“I can do first position very well,” Jolena answered. She showed them.

“Violin has a first position, too,” Charlotte said.  “It was the first thing I learned when I started violin, but it isn't like ballet. It’s like this.” She picked up the violin, tucked it under her chin and showed how she would play.

“That’s the only position I've learned so far. Violin is hard, too,” Charlotte explained. “I study and practice and I can make the notes, but I get a lot of squeaks and squawks, like a chicken. I wish I could do better.”

“You will, if you keep practicing,” Mandy assured her. “You’re already better than you were when you started. Remember how we tried to pay you to stop because it hurt our ears?”

Charlotte remembered.

“But I heard you playing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star this morning, and it sounded good,” Mandy told her. 

“Did you really think it was good?” Charlotte asked.

“I knew what you were playing, didn’t I? That means it was good,” Mandy answered. “You will get rid of the little squeaks if you keep practicing.”

“I really hope so,” Charlotte said. “I guess I have to keep trying.”

Jolena was still discouraged. “Charlotte feels better, but I don’t think you can cheer me up,” she told Mandy. “I’m having a hard time with ballet. It isn’t because everything is in French, I can deal with that. I can do Plee-ay, sheh-tay, and air-a-besk, but I can’t do rel-a-vay. You have to go up on your tippy toes. My ankles won’t bend, so I can’t do rel-a-vay or even point my toes, and that’s very important in ballet.” Jolena showed Mandy her ankles.

Jolena gave a big sigh. “Maybe I should just stick with skiing. I can do that. But I really wanted to be able to dance, too.”
“I can’t bend my ankles, either,” Mandy said, “but there are other kinds of dancing where you don’t need to point your toes,” Mandy explained. “You know the saying, ‘When life gives you lemons…?’”
“Pucker up?” Jolena asked and puckered her lips.

“No!” Mandy laughed. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”

“What does that mean, Mandy?” Charlotte asked.

“It means that if you have something that comes up that gets in the way of reaching your goal, you find a way to use it. Like making something yummy out of something yucky, like making lemonade out of lemons.”

“You know what? That’s what I did!” Charlotte exclaimed.

Both girls looked at Charlotte.

“You did?” Jolena asked.

“Yes!” Charlotte replied. “I wanted to be a singer at first. Remember how much fun we had when I sang and the rest of you hummed along?”

“That was fun,” Mandy said, and Jolena nodded.

“I started taking singing lessons,” Charlotte said, “but I found out I can’t get my mouth open wide enough, so I will never be a really good singer. My music teacher suggested I learn to play an instrument instead. I really liked that idea! I can still sing for fun.”

“And that’s when you decided to play the violin,” Jolena suggested.

“No,” Charlotte said. “Piano.”

“But you’re learning the violin now,” Mandy said. “What happened?”
Charlotte held up her right hand. “More lemons,” she sighed, pointing to her right hand.

“I found out you need to be able to get all your fingers apart to play the piano,” Charlotte explained. 
The girls all looked at their right hands. On each girl’s right hand, two fingers were stuck together, but on their left hands, each finger was separate.

“We all have that problem,” Mandy said. “So tell us, how did you pick the violin?”

“I picked the violin because for the violin you do need to get the  fingers of your left hand apart to put them on the different strings--I can do that--but all you need to do with your right hand is hold the bow, so it’s perfect.”

“So you made lemonade.” Jolena laughed. “Twice!”

“That was a lot of lemons,” Mandy agreed, “You should end up with a lot of lemonade! And do you know what? Now I know you’ll be very good at the violin, because you were made to play it!”

“So how do I make lemonade?” Jolena asked. “I need to find a way to dance without pointing my toes.”

“You need to pick a kind of dance where you don’t need to point your toes,” Mandy said. “You can still use what you learn in ballet classes and be a better dancer. I know a dance like that called a jig. For some kinds of jigs you point your toes, but you don't have to. You do have to bend your knees, though.”

“I can bend my knees," Jolena said. She knew some dolls who couldn't bend her knees, so she was glad she could.”

“I’ll show you how to do this dance,” Mandy said, and she did. Then Jolena practiced with Mandy.

A few days later, Charlotte came home from school very excited. “We’ve been invited by my music teacher to perform at the Bluegrass Festival,” she said. “They have a special time for dolls to perform.”

“That sounds like fun,” Mandy said. “You can play, and Jolena can dance.”
“But my music teacher says we can all perform,” Charlotte explained. “If you can clap your hands in time with the music, you can play an instrument like the tambourine, the spoons or the jug.”
“I saw a tambourine in the toy box,” Mandy said. “And I think I can find a bottle in the kitchen to use as a jug. I’ve seen how they blow into it to make a sound. I’ll ask Veronika which one she would like.”

They practiced at home, and they decided together what they would wear.
Charlotte practiced “You Are My Sunshine.”

Jolena practiced a jig while Charlotte played.

Veronika blew into the bottle...the jug, “Boop, boop.”

Mandy tapped the tambourine against her leg in time to the music.

When it was time for the festival, the four dolls went on stage. Charlotte played “You Are My Sunshine,” Jolena danced, Veronika played the jug, and Mandy kept the beat with the tambourine.

When they finished performing, they all took a bow together.

The people who were watching and listening clapped and clapped.
“Let’s go get some refreshments,” Veronika suggested when the people stopped clapping. “They have something on a big table in the shade.”
“What do they have?” Jolena asked.
“They have cookies,” Charlotte said. “And lemonade, of course!”
"Everyone seemed to like our lemonade," Charlotte said. "Let's name our group The Lemon Sisters!"

Cast--

Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen

Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015

Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni

Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris

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Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.

"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
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Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from the Doll's Storybook and soon Classic Tales Retold: Stories from the Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to St. Jude. Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author for $20 including shipping. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.

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