Sisters

My sister is seven years older than I am. That seems like a huge age difference, but it was never a big issue for us. We usually got along well, we rarely fought and we are still pretty close.

See how happy she was to have me in her life? Also: Check out my mother’s bed spread.

The hardest part of our relationship was when I was young. I always wanted to go with her everywhere she went. Not very cool when she was 16 and I was nine. I used to nag and cry and throw fits that I wanted to go with her almost every time she was getting ready to go out. Sometimes she would send me to go and get my coat and when I came back all dressed for the outdoors, she was gone. That was never fun.

This one time I learned my lesson, and I don’t think I ever begged her again.

One summer day my sister and my cousin were getting ready to go to the mall. I asked her if I could join them and of course she said no. That wasn’t the answer that I wanted to hear, so I threw a fit. I started crying, and screaming and throwing things around in her room. My sister stood her ground and wasn’t going to let me tag along.

But I knew a secret. I knew something about my sister and I knew that she didn’t want my mother to know. So I threatened her. I told her that if she didn’t take me to the mall that I would share this golden nugget of information with my mother.

Of course she gave in. I was happy that I had won. Extortion was fun. My happiness didn’t last for very long.

She let me go with her to the mall that day, but she made me walk 10 steps behind her the entire time. She didn’t say a word to me for the rest of that day and my cousin followed suit. It wasn’t fun, but she sure did teach me a lesson and I can honestly say that I never threatened her again.

I can tell you many stories about jokes that my sister played on me. That she and her best friend read to me from Stephen Kings’ Night Shift before I went to bed at night, but this one time at the mall had the most impact on me. It taught me that being a bully to get what you want is not cool or fun.

It’s funny how I remember that one time as a life changing experience. When I was a little older, my sister did take me with her to a lot of cool places. I didn’t have to threaten her and my mom didn’t have to force her to. She took me to my first concert when I was 10 — The Spoons and Gowan at Ontario Place. She also took me to see Duran Duran, David Bowie, Madonna and more all before I was 15. I’ll never forget Erasure at Massey Hall.

She took me out to the movies and dinner often. We shopped on Yonge Street and used to go the Eaton Center all the time. She would always wear really pointy, black buckle boots, a really white face, black spikey hair and bright red lipstick. She always gave change to panhandlers.

I had fun growing up with an older sister. She listened to the best music and she used to let me wear her yellow stitch doc marten’s to school. She was cool and I was welcomed into her life — not always, but often enough for me to enjoy my childhood and teenage years with an older sister.

New Year’s Eve 2012

 
 
 
This post was inspired my Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop.