2 of 48

Write now Article Tools

My sister was about three months over seven years old when I was born. There were two brothers older than she was, and two brothers between us. We would later have a fifth brother. So, as the only two girls, we ended up being roommates from the time I was moved out of Mother and Daddy's room until the day she moved out to go to work and, later, get married.

As the older of the two of us, Sister (which was always what I called her, even now, after her death) was the boss in things that pertained to both of us. We shared the room, the bed, and the wooden rod that held our dresses. I don't remember where our underwear was put, but I'm sure that it, too, was shared-and that she is the one who decided which spot was mine and which was hers! As the younger one, I rarely questioned her on the decisions; I was trained from birth to do what I was told and not to ask questions.

However, after my sister moved out and went to work as a telephone operator, we had the opportunity to begin the long process of becoming friends. It was a long road, and we sometimes struggled over it, but we kept going. Once, when she had just had a baby and my mother was taking care of her, Mother got a call to come and be with one of her parents, who was getting close to death. Daddy took me to take Mother's place in taking care of Sister and the baby; he took Mother home and on to her parents' house. A couple of days later, I was taken back home by my brother-in-law, who would be home all weekend; after that, Sister could be up and taking care of the baby.

During that time, though, we had the opportunity to visit and begin learning who we each had become. She was no longer the one "in charge", and I got to tell her when it was time for her to rest. I'm sure that wasn't pleasant for her, but she didn't argue, either. This time together is one the two of us spoke about during one of our last visits before her death. She remembered it, and told me that she was thankful that I would help out during that time.

Years later, after I had grown up, had children of my own, and gotten a divorce from my first husband, I moved next door to my sister with my second husband. During the years we lived there, we had many wonderful visits, in both her house and mine. We even ended up fighting a fire together once! During the intervening years, though, we had both learned a lot about being family, and had sung together in many gospel singing conventions around the area. She and her family had a family group, and

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Reflections: Sisterhood?
We want to hear your view. Write now!