Sister!

I have a sister!

I actually have two, but one (Nikki) moved in with me in January. I grew up being an only girl because my sisters have different moms. I cannot complain. It seems like guys tend to need way less attention than girls. And I know I need my fair share. Being an only girl allowed me to suck it all up. Actually, I still do. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t want attention from EVERYBODY – just my parents... and current boyfriend/fiancé. Good thing E doesn’t mind. In fact, he seems to enjoy my bratty-ness. He gives me plenty with no complaints….

But back to my sister. She is a fashion designer. How cool is that? I design purses – and she designs…well, EVERYTHING. She actually got a 4-year degree in Fashion Design and Marketing. So sometimes we are up all night designing, sewing, or taking pictures of what we made. She even gives me tips on how to do fancy things – like add piping to the handles of my purses.

I met her a long time ago when I was 4 or 5. I remember always wanting to be like her. She knew how to tie her shoe, so I wanted to learn how to tie mine. She stayed with my parents for a little while and went back to her mom afterwards. I didn’t see or talk to her again until I was about 14. She and my other sister, J came to visit our dad. Unfortunately, I did not bond with either of them at this time. However, Nikki and J got to be really close (they had more in common), while leaving me out. Apparently, my dad was not so good a father to them but was a terrific father to me. (In his defense, I lived in the same city as him.) They were also closer in age and were as they called it ‘bad’. I was ‘good’. I don’t remember that, though. The only thing I remember is feeling left out. So of course we didn’t keep in contact.

Well, 9 years later (this past October) my mom and I decided we should find them. My dad didn’t have a clue where they were. People who did kept brushing me off. But we were determined. We looked in the phonebook, online (I even used a service where I had to pay to get an address). We went knocking on doors, everything. Finally, we just called 411 and got J. It turned out she knew where Nikki was. They had been hanging out all this time.

So J called Nikki and we hung out in a bar where Nikki worked. It was completely different than the last time we hung out. Maybe it was because we were older. Maybe it was the alcohol. In any case, it was great. They kept calling me little sister and ‘protecting’ me from the guys that tried to hit on me. We took a lot of pictures. I felt like real relative.

When I found out about Nikki being a fashion designer, I invited her to stay with me. There are a lot more opportunities here than there. She took me up on my offer and moved here January. Although it has only been a month, I feel like we’ve been sisters for life. I know – literally we have been – but you know what I mean. We are so similar in some ways and are completely different in other ways. Even in the way that we look. I kinda I feel like I cheated. Because we didn’t grow up together, we don’t have the sibling rivalry that a lot of sisters have. I got the sister without all the competition.

Actually, though we are having a little competition going. We are competing for who can make the best cheesecake. I think the best kinds are the ones you bake – they taste like real cheesecake. The no-bake kind tastes and feels like whipped cream to me. She claims that hers don’t. We’ll see.

The only sad thing is, I am moving out soon (getting married and all). E and I are planning to move into a house really close to work which will be about 40 minutes from where Nikki and I currently live. So I will probably only see her on the weekends, instead of everyday. :(

But I am so glad she is here! :)