Queen of the Free State. Jennifer Friedman

wake up again. I jump off my bed, tear away the wrapping paper on the box at my feet. Inside is a beautiful doll with shiny brown hair, brown eyes that open and close, and a tiny pink rosebud mouth. She’s wearing a yellow-and-white polka-dot dress with a lace collar, white socks, and white, round-toed plastic shoes with teeny straps across the insteps. Rosebud – that’s what I’m going to call her! I don’t really care that she’s got brown hair, though everyone knows dolls with blonde hair are the prettiest and most special … If you’ve been a really good girl, you’ll get a gorgeous, blonde, blue-eyed doll. You can give blonde dolls names like Annabelle or Snowdrop or Rosebud. Dolls with brown hair are called ‘Betty’ or ‘Mary’. But she’s different, I think. I love her, even if she hasn’t got blonde hair and blue eyes …

      My sister wakes up, rips the wrapping paper off her birthday present, and pulls from the depths of the big box a gorgeous, blonde, blue-eyed doll.

      Ma comes into our bedroom to wish us a happy birthday. She looks from my sister to the doll in my arms. She narrows her eyes. Her sharp gaze comes to rest on me.

      ‘How do you like your birthday present, Jennifer?’

      Ma only calls me ‘Jennifer’ when I’ve been naughty. I can’t help it. My eyes slide involuntarily across to my sister, cradling her pretty blonde doll in her arms. Her eyes are wide with excitement. She beams at Ma.

      Something small pinches me inside.

      ‘Oh yes, Ma, I love her! Look, her hair and eyes are brown – just like mine!’

      I hold my doll up in the air and turn around to show her to my sister.

      ‘Her doll doesn’t look at all like her, Ma.’

      My sister frowns. Looks down at the doll in her arms. Then she smiles a small, tight smile and hugs her doll close.

      ‘I don’t care,’ she whispers. ‘I don’t care. She’s got blonde hair and her eyes are blue and I got her because I’m a good little girl.’

      Ma smiles.

      ‘Well, I think my doll’s special too, Ma. I’m also a good girl and I’m going to give my doll a special name: I’m going to call her Rosebud!’