I was a little girl for a long time. Compared to my peers, I was a late bloomer. I played with my beloved dolls and engaged in imaginative play long after most of the girls in my age group had left their toys in the dust bin to pursue nail polish, lip gloss, and boys. On the eve of my twelfth* birthday, adulthood came for me, read or not. But with it came an answer to an innocent, childhood prayer.