This year, much to her chagrin (and mine too,) my baby sister turns "the big 60". It's been a long and bumpy ride. I remember when my mom brought this little interloper in to our home. Mom had been divorced and remarried. I never knew my biological father and I worshipped this man I considered my dad and now I was supposed to share him. The baby was cute ... for a baby. When we moved to Venice (California,) where my folks worked in a hotel, mom would push the baby buggy across the street to the park and I would sit with her for however long. There were seven years between us, not conducive to a really close relationship when your little more than a toddler yourself and used to being the princess.
Later, in my teen years, she was conscripted into duty as mother's little spy. If I had company, I could count on her needing to be in the room. And parties ... somehow there was always a reason for her to be sent to join us. Now, true, she had a crush on one of the boys that hung with our crowd and all she wanted was "just one dance" but even after we moved and held our parties downstairs in the parking garages - after bedtime, guess who was sent to "see if we needed anything." As a little sister, she wasn't as bad as some. I think it was the age thing that was our problem. That and the fact that she was Mommy's girl.
As I grew older, married, and relocated, I thought it would be fun and romantic to take little sis back to the midwest with us for a vacation and some sisters bonding. Yeah well! Apparently I indulged in too much "happy families" reading.
And yet, we bonded. In spite of all the odds and our mom, we bonded. After I moved back to my hometown, she babysat. She'd spend an evening just keeping me company and sane. When we went through lousy relationships, divorces, illnesses, sick cats, we knew there was one person we could call who'd ask no questions but would simply help us out of yet another hole we'd dug ourselves into.
We took to visiting again and even vacationing together. We know today that no matter what else goes wrong in our worlds, we can count on little/big sister. We worry about each other and our animals. We don't get to spend a lot of time together (maybe that's a good thing) but we enjoy the visiting we do and we spend time keeping Verizon in business.
Just wanted to say, "I love you, Vicki 'rene. and I wish you a very special HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I wish we could celebrate it together with something really outlandish but meanwhile maybe we can visit by phone and lift a glass of wine together.
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