Dear God, I really wanted that doll<\/strong><\/h5>\nI was in second grade. For two weeks the most exquisite nun doll I\u2019d ever seen had been on display in a glass case in the school\u2019s principal\u2019s office. The Sisters of Loretto had replicated a full black-and-white habit from top-to-bottom, including perfectly-scaled shoes and delicate white undergarments. She even wore a little gold wedding ring and a miniature rosary hung from her waist. At twelve inches tall, she was perfect.<\/p>\n
She was to be the Grand Prize for our upcoming school raffle. Each year in May we had \u201cField Day,\u201d with no school activities and only food, fun, and games. In the afternoon the doll would be raffled off. My teacher instructed us that everything that day\u2014hot-dogs, drinks, candy, game booth activities, and the raffle<\/em>\u2014required that we purchase tickets. No problem, I knew Mom would give me money.\u00a0 But how could I make sure I could win that doll?<\/p>\n