When I was a kid, there was once a toy backhoe that I saw in a department stores — I believe it was Sears back when Sears mattered — that I wanted so badly I could think of nothing else at times. Every single time we were in the store, I had to head over to the toy department and look at it, handle it, play with it as much as was possible in its wrapping.

I can only imagine my torture if someone in my class had said backhoe, brought it to school, and wouldn’t allow me to touch it.

The Girl finds herself in a similar situation. Of course it’s not a backhoe; it’s a Barbie camper. And she did have the awful situation of being able to see but not touch, of being able to watch someone play with it but not join in.

And so she decided there’s only one way to solve the problem, given the fact that the answer to the questino, “Mama, Tata, can you buy me…” was “No.”

Check the piggie bank and see how much she was short.