| Barbie had always heard that moving on after a | | | | would never go to the ballet with her, even |
| breakup was the hardest thing ever. Her breakup | | | | though he knew she had spent years sweating in |
| with her boyfriend Ken had just happened, and | | | | ballet class and had a deep appreciation for The |
| for the first time in too many years to | | | | Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. It just wasn't his |
| remember, she found herself suddenly single. She | | | | thing. When she heard the Bolshoi Ballet was |
| knew there was no chance of getting back | | | | coming to town, she bought tickets and collected |
| together, so she had to get on with her life. | | | | a couple of girlfriends from work and they made |
| In the beginning, Barbie tried talking to her best | | | | an evening of it. She had a grand time, and she |
| friend, Teresa, about the breakup. At first, | | | | realized it would never have happened if she were |
| Teresa seemed sympathetic. But soon, she | | | | still with Ken. With the ballet boiling in her veins, |
| became bored with the topic. To her, it was old | | | | she joined an adult dance class. It got her out of |
| news. ("I mean, Ken and Barbie have been dating | | | | the house two nights a week, helped her get |
| for, like, forty years...") She wanted to talk about | | | | back into shape, and forced her to meet new |
| her own issues. Barbie became frustrated at this | | | | people as well. Then some of her new classmates |
| lack of support and looked elsewhere. | | | | invited her along on an after-class wine tasting at |
| Her mom, Margaret, on the other hand, couldn't | | | | a local winery. |
| talk about anything but Ken. She thought Barbie | | | | Barbie had seldom been exposed to fine wines in |
| was insane to let him get away. It sometimes | | | | a social setting. Ken had been all about beer and |
| seemed like her mom had been more in love with | | | | beach barbeques, so she had usually just grabbed |
| Ken than Barbie ever was. Aunt Lillian was no | | | | a drumstick and knocked back a brew. But when |
| help, either, what with worrying over her own | | | | she found out the local winery offered an |
| daughter Francie's inability to bend her knees. | | | | introductory wine tasting class, she decided to |
| After a few weeks, Barbie decided to try | | | | join. In the following months, she learned to wield |
| therapy and found she liked it a lot. Her therapist | | | | a corkscrew without serious injury. She learned |
| was really a doll. After a few visits, she began to | | | | smell the cork and use terms like "buttery" and |
| identify the problems which had led to the | | | | "piquant." She bought her own drip dickey, and |
| breakup. Following her therapist's advice, she was | | | | gradually developed a palate that could appreciate |
| able to plan out a strategy for moving on... | | | | the subtle differences between Remy St. Martin |
| The first thing she did was to get rid of all of | | | | and a $4.00 bottle of plonk. And one day, while |
| Ken's things. Not vindictively, though. Our Barbie is | | | | decanting a sassy little Merlot, she met Blaine. |
| a Nice Girl. Some items, like the leather jacket she | | | | Blaine was a handsome orthopedic surgeon whose |
| knew he loved, she returned. Other things, like his | | | | interests included good wine, fine food, and Barbie. |
| ratty old tennis shoes, she just threw out. He had | | | | She returned his interest, and reflected that being |
| also given her some nice jewelry, but she decided | | | | able to see Blaine in a romantic way must mean |
| to put these away, and store them somewhere | | | | she was finally getting over the pain of losing Ken. |
| out of sight, until she became less emotional | | | | And that brings us down to the present. Barbie |
| about the Ken situation. The fewer things lying | | | | doesn't know yet whether the relationship with |
| around to remind her of the relationship, she | | | | Blaine is going to last past Tuesday, or go strong |
| reasoned, the better she was emotionally. | | | | into the next decade, but she does know that |
| Next, she started guiding her life in directions that | | | | she doesn't miss Ken at all when Blaine is in the |
| were not influenced by Ken's presence. Manly Ken | | | | vicinity. Our Barbie truly is moving on.. |