A while after she was born, my little sister found her rightful place, sleeping a few feet away from me. Back in those days, we shared a bedroom. Oh, what the walls of our room could tell you! We were set on building a wall to divide it so we never even had to look at each other! But a few years later when we moved to a new town, with a new house and separate rooms, we found ourselves gravitating towards each other’s beds. Soon one “sleepover” night in my room became bunk beds, one for her and one for me. That way our heartbeats would never be more than a few feet away from each other. And I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Although she annoys me to no end, my little sister is definitely my best friend. While growing up, we were inseparable. We played in the rain together. We made up songs together. We both shared an equal hate for pink and all things that didn’t involve mud. We would spend hours together, climbing trees and playing make believe. But one day, it was time for me to leave. I had to move 3 hours away and attend college. And I was scared.
I was worried for all the usual reasons like meeting friends and moving to a new place. But I was also worried that I would lose my best friend. I was scared she would change while I was gone. Well, good news y’all- she’s still annoying as ever. She’s still my best friend. However, it probably wasn’t the hour long Skype calls or the frequent visits that kept our relationship the same. It was not our sisterhood. It was our friendship.
These days we keep our friendship alive by doing our favorite thing- going on drives together, regardless of the destination. I will make a new CD with some of my country songs and some of her pop songs. For a while we’ll laugh and sing along, dancing like idiots to show off our new moves. But my favorite part of the whole drive is when the radio is turned down until you can barely hear it. This is when we talk. We’ll talk about the future, stupid boys, or just something funny that happened a while back. These drives are the reason that I know her the best. These drives are the reason I have the longest running record for best presents (starting in December 2014 until June 2016). Yes, I’m keeping track! It is those moments when I fall in love with my sister all over again. This is when I’m reminded why she will always be my best friend.
As we both grow older and move further away from each other, I pray that she will find some time in her busy schedule to go on a drive with me every now and then. Even now I can’t wait until the next time we get to blast music and roll the windows down. But I really can’t wait for the moment when she leans forward and turns the music down so I can hear her voice, the voice I fell in love with when I was only 4 years old. Even though when I was 4, it was less her voice and more her screaming…
