I Raise My Glass To Little Sister
mi vida estupida|This weekend Little Sister turned 21. We pre-gamed at my place and then partied in the East Village like it was 1999; drank way too much and laughed so hard. The fake ID is no longer necessary as all doors are now open. Her friends all came out and her boy played Happy Birthday on bagpipes. It was a night that I hope she’ll always remember.
I still have to shake my head in wonder that over two decades have passed since Little Sister came into my life. I still remember the pudgy, round-faced newborn with a shock of black hair. She was so precious and helpless yet full of life and so big and strong. I was a teenager then and had a lot of responsibilties with her, sometimes being driven to frustration when she would spit out her baby food or stubbornly refuse to budge another inch. But these moments pale in comparison to the fun we had, the joy I got in teaching her new things and showing her the world. She followed me around and imitated me. She couldn’t wait for her own pair of Dr. Martens. She listened to my CDs since she was a toddler - especially Sublime and No Doubt - and was probably the only five-year-old to know who PJ Harvey is. We played endless games of “Guess Who”, went to the movies, splashed in the fountain in Washington Square Park. I was so protective of her and my heart ached to see her sad.
After I finished college, I went backpacking through Europe and Australia, and I was gone for months. Little Sister didn’t want me to leave and missed me terribly while I was away. She wrote me letters and emails that made me laugh and broke my heart because they capture her nine-year-oldness perfectly. Here is my favorite one:
“I miss you!!!! I am fine. Happy ST. Patricks day! What’s up? I got a 98 on my science test. When I was watching TV I saw Sublimes wife and child. We have voice e-mail. What does nonetheless mean? Today was dressup day. I wore my long skirt, blue shirt, vest, and my Dr. martins. Lucy wore every thing green. Having a fun time? Mrs. Petrizzo is getting meaner and meaner. I think about you everyday. I really miss you. I can’t wait till you come home.
Love always, little sister”
Yeah, I get nostalgic for those days and sometimes wish that I could freeze those moments of simple beauty in time. But then I would miss out on seeing her get older, become a teenager, and eventually a grown-up, an equal to me. It blows my mind that no longer am I the only one that gives advice. Little Sister has become a best friend and a confidant. She has grown into a smart, funny, gorgeous, kind, vivacious woman who continues to amaze me all the time. Words can’t explain how much I love her and how proud I am of her. I can’t imagine my life without her, how sad it would be, how empty. Over the last few years we’ve grown even closer and I hope that never changes.
Happy Birthday darlin’!
January 4th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Sooooo… she single?
(Totally kidding; I know I’m an old-man in the eyes of anyone that young!)
If I’d had the money, I probably would have backpacked following college, but I didn’t, so instead I hit the job rolls. I wonder if I could do it now, but the older these bones get, the less likely they are to find hostel beds comfortable methinks…
January 4th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
But the BIG question remains…..when will Little Sister become an aunt?
January 6th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
gh - keep away from Little Sister (totally NOT kidding - hehe.) you’ve given me another idea for a post, because you don’t need a lot of cash to travel. you just gotta be willing to slum it.
broc - did the post sound super-maternal? she was the next closest thing to having a child. but now we can just party together - woot!
January 6th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
I cracked up at the email!
Also, this entire post was funnier than it should have been to me… probably cause i actually know her.
January 6th, 2010 at 6:36 pm
How sweet! I love her little kid letter - totally all over the place just like little kids are. It sounds like you were an awesome big sister. Kudos for teaching her who PJ Harvey was.
January 6th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
LOL - Don’t worry, I know I’m not cool enough for Little Sister. Plus I noticed the “her boy” think on the second read through.
As for comfort, let’s just say I used to be able to camp on a 3/4 pad that would have me screaming in agony now. As for the money when I was out of college, I don’t want to say much, but let’s just say there was a “-” sign in front of things. And that, my friend, makes buying a plane ticket damn hard.
January 7th, 2010 at 9:08 am
You mean the “!!!” craziness didn’t start with the whole text generation? Or maybe texting has been around that long and I’m just old. Her letter is cute and even though you were having fun traveling, I bet it got you all watery-eyed.
January 7th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
whoa, no wonder i had a hard time writing my statement for grad school…writing was never my thing. this post is borderline embarrassing. oh man
January 8th, 2010 at 10:50 am
dene - yeah, sometimes i gotta embarrass her a bit…
mel heth - i tried
pj harvey is a goddess.
gh - i will write more on the topic but let’s just say i was saving money since i was 15 for my “big trip”
dingo - you know i did. and often she would draw me and her which was so cute. she would always draw me with dr marten boots and rainbow colored hair.
little sister - how could i resist? and for the record, you’re a good writer.