King's Daughter's Kitchen

My baby sister is nine years younger than me. I changed her diapers and raised her, really. Our parents had issues and were very cruel. So the four of us girls looked to each other for love and wisdom.

When Baby Sister was little, she was spoiled and undisciplined, free to do whatever she wanted. I was jealous of her freedom, as I was the caretaker of our family, slave really, and did every task it takes to raise us except to pay the bills.

I admired Baby Sister’s boundless imagination when she played. She could wander our neighborhood freely for hours until the street lights came on without a thought to time, chore, or burden.

I grew up and escaped without taking her. This is one of the top regrets of my life. My life path was different from hers. Baby Sister’s childhood gave her a tough exterior, but she is still tender underneath and easily hurt. Now that we are both adults and we have been through some hard life, I admire Baby Sister. She is tough inside and out. She has many interesting sides and ideas.

On the outside, she has no qualms about riding next to her hubby in his semi, having a body covered in tattoos, listening to hard rock music, swearing, laughing, or saying whatever suits her at full volume, dying her hair purple or green, eating whatever she wants, going wherever she wants, and getting the most from life. Do I mind any of it? No. If any part were gone, she wouldn’t be her free, fun self.

On the inside, Baby Sister is tenderhearted and loving. She often shares with me things she regrets or wishes she would do with her children so they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are first in her mind. Age pains keep her from playing like she used to play, but her dreams of taking off to explore across the country are still just as big as ever. Speaking of big, I believe that the one thing I see in her that has grown the most is her ability to listen and see the other person. As she ages, the selfish piece of her that described so much of her childhood is disappearing until I can barely see it. When she gives of her cool, fun self to others, I love that about her. I love my Baby Sister. My world would be sad and lonely without her.