Anthology Submissions

A SISTER’S STORY

By:

Rowena Banks

There is an old saying that you can choose your friends but not your family. I can’t begin to count how many times I wished this were not true. But family is not refundable. They are the people who know you better than anyone. They can be loyal, embarrassing, annoying and frustrating. Thus the pain they inflict can be deep, piercing, and unforgiving. I wonder if that was the case between my mother and her sister.

It was apparent (when I was old enough to notice) that there was tension between my mother and her sister. A thick thread of envy, jealousy, or discord between them. An uncomfortable awareness that no one really talked about. Questions, when asked, no one was brave enough to truthfully answer. It seemed stupid to me. In my naïve, ignorant mind it made no sense for two highly educated adults to give power to whatever poison that kept them wary, and away from one another.

My mother and her sister grew up close. Same parents. Twelve siblings. I’ve seen the old pictures of family reunions, family outings; arms around each other, big cheesy grins. It is somehow comforting to know that they weren’t always so disconnected. When I was little I remember them talking about roller skating, drive-in movies, and trips to Riverview Park in Chicago. They had a happy childhood it seems. Where it all went wrong is the 60 year old question.

I never knew my grandmother. She died young. My mother was still in high school. Was her death the first crack in their relationship? Did she favor one sister over the other? Does one look more like their mom than the other? My grandfather lived a good life but I remember even his death brought some dissension. Did he leave more to one sister than the other? Why does she get to plan everything? Does it matter?