Reflections on Year Four

This weekend, in between all of the sleeping by the trees and the yelling at the boyfriend for no reason and the watching of the episodes of Friends while on a controlled substance, I attended two birthday parties for my sister’s triplets. The 5th anniversary of the day when I finally became the person my sister was to me. My sister’s kids and I are 17 years apart, while my sister and I are 15 years apart. When I was little I would stand at her doorway at 7 in the morning, waiting in the the dark for her to wake up. She was probably hungover and extremely annoyed that her 4-year-old sister wouldn’t stop staring at her in a creepy “village of the damned” sort of way, but she would always open her eyes, say “fine, come here” and I would crawl into her bed with her. When she left for college, I cried for days, and every time I visited her I bawled hysterically when I was forced to leave by that damn CEO of QVC.

Now my sister is finally getting some payback. Her daughter now does the same things to me that I used to do. Including crying hysterically every time I try to leave the her house. The boys, well, they could care less, but they do get rather excited to see me as they hope that I will bring Trent with me. I hate to admit it, but they totally dig him more than me. I mean, he’s a boy, he can throw them farther in the pool, he has a red jeep and he has a beard. Yesterday was the final reveal of the finished beard to the boys. They were so intrigued, staring, touching and finally asking, “but how did it come out of your face!” I guess I would be amazed too if the only other bearded person I’d seen was Santa.

Anyway, at the first of the two parties, my niece summed up her birthday extravaganza.

Me: “Do you see all the presents? You are one lucky girl.”

Her: “I knnooow. That’s why we invite so many people to our parties.

Me: “Because you want presents? Sloanie, that’s not true, it’s because they’re your friends. Presents are just extra.”

Her: Smiles….bascially implying, “I smell BULLSHIT!”