Just Winging It

Sisters… the best of friends or the fiercest of enemies. I’m only a year older than my sister. We are both in our 30s now. We didn’t truly become friends until my 25th birthday. Yes, we were always sisters and got along, sorta, but it wasn’t that deep, real friendship we have now. That bond was there, but we just didn’t “click” in that genuine way until later in life. I can’t say I fully understand the psychology behind it, but I do feel a little sad that we didn’t have this connection growing up.

What’s strange is that even before we were close, I would’ve done anything to protect her. For instance, I remember back in high school when she was being bullied by her so-called “best friends.” I spent so much time thinking up the meanest things I could say to put them in their place. Then there was the time one of her friends tried to get me in trouble for having my phone at school, but my sister immediately covered for me.

What’s funny is, at that point in our lives, we barely spoke at home. We avoided each other like the plague, but to outsiders, we always had each other’s backs. I think one of the most memorable times was when she thought she could be pregnant. I was a senior in high school when we got into our little 1990 Chevrolet Cavalier at the end of the school day when she asked if we could stop by Rite Aid on the way home. That’s when she broke the news to me, but my little, naive brain didn’t fully process (or want to process) that she was active, so I was shocked. My mom had lectured us for years about protection, so this also felt like an unbelievable situation.

We pulled in to Rite Aid, walked down the aisle that we would never want to be seen in, and picked the most legitimate-looking one we could find. We headed to the register to be greeted by the cashier who gave us a look of pity and sympathy. “This is for her,” I said aloud because I felt embarrassed. Not cool, I know, but I was a teen, so give me a break. We took the test home, she peed, and left it sitting on the sink. A few minutes had passed and it was time to check. She couldn’t bring herself to look, so she had me go. When I saw that it was positive, I don’t know if it was shock or denial, but I just couldn’t believe it. My mom was surprisingly calm. She simply said my sister would need a blood test to be sure.

So the next day, we called up our grandma and asked her to meet us at the nearest express care. When she pulled into the parking lot, I couldn’t stop myself and I started laughing. Not because it was funny, but because for whatever reason, I get giggly in the most uncomfortable situations like funerals, and apparently, this. Positive. Boom. Life changing. Let me tell you when it came time to tell our family, which, by the way, is like 25 people because my grandparents had a gazillion kids, I could barely sit in my seat. Laughing, and not a normal laugh, it was like a psycho, loud, HA HA laugh. Like a, “WAIT TILL YOU HEAR THIS! I’M SO UNCOMFORTABLE!” laugh.

Anyways, now here we are, 16 years later. The best “blessing in disguise” we could have. He is the coolest, funniest, caring kid. So, thanks, sister, for bringing him into our lives. And thanks for being my sister. I’m grateful for the relationship we have today. It was worth the wait.