Our first real interactions came when we were forced to share a room. A bed. A school. A couple boys. A few friends. I was about 10 and she 9. Of course we pretty much had to hate each other. She was a short-term sister and forever cousin. During those months she lived with us we fought approximately 742 fights and I was not even sure why. The only time we got along was when we were plotting something against Charlie or were off kissing boys in the spin the bottle circle. She was the outgoing one and I, the forever shy. My grandparents always talk about how she used to dance constantly and bounce off the walls. I do not know where she got those enthusiasm genes. I wished I had some. I did not particularly love everything about having her there, especially the time she grabbed my hair and began to bang my head against the window of the truck. Sometimes all I could do was laugh in disbelief and sometimes I would get so frustrated I would cry. I was not as welcoming as I should have been. Especially when I made us sleep in our bed perpendicular to normal with different sheets and different blankets. Even then I would shout, "scoot over!" when were about as far apart as possible with still being on the bed.
No, I didn't love everything but I did love her and I loved having a "sister" for that fleeting moment. What we had was each other when the boys wouldn't want to play. We had dirty dancing and playgrounds and school buses and non-stop slumber parties with scary movies. We had all of the things that mattered. Without that I am not sure what our relationship would have been like today. Would she have ever visited? Would that lengthy stay have happened in high school at grandpa's house? Without the childhood we might very well be strangers today.
In one year she will be getting married and I hope she is happy! I wonder what he is like and how it happened and where they will live and how many kids they want and what does he do and where will she work in Chicago.
Hey, wait a minute. Marriage seems to have skipped me. Shocking.
No, I didn't love everything but I did love her and I loved having a "sister" for that fleeting moment. What we had was each other when the boys wouldn't want to play. We had dirty dancing and playgrounds and school buses and non-stop slumber parties with scary movies. We had all of the things that mattered. Without that I am not sure what our relationship would have been like today. Would she have ever visited? Would that lengthy stay have happened in high school at grandpa's house? Without the childhood we might very well be strangers today.
In one year she will be getting married and I hope she is happy! I wonder what he is like and how it happened and where they will live and how many kids they want and what does he do and where will she work in Chicago.
Hey, wait a minute. Marriage seems to have skipped me. Shocking.
No comments:
Post a Comment