To My Sister’s Fiance, Even Though You Make Her Smile Now, I Did It First

When my mother was pregnant with my sister, she already knew that it wasn't her last and only time she would be having a kid. She always wanted her children to have siblings. She believed that having a sister or a brother would give them a full-time loyal and reliable ally to fight whatever battles life may face them with. To be honest, I never let my sister forget this because I always make jokes about how I was planned but she wasn't.

Seeing my sister all happy and excited at her engagement reminded me of a video we have taped from the day my mom went into labor. It was just my sister jumping around on the couch and when asked why her joy was so uncontainable, she said it was because soon she would be holding her newborn sibling and she could not be more thrilled.

Hence, even though you do make her smile, it's safe to say, I did it first.

You two may be soulmates but we were quite literally made for each other.

It felt so surreal for me to watch the ceremony through my little phone screen via FaceTime all the way across the globe. It made me feel strange that I wasn't right next to my sister, laughing at all the dad jokes my father kept telling, helping the couple get perfect angles for their pictures.

I was watching the engagement take place on my phone when it hit me. My bond with my sister is limitless. It cannot be affected by time or space. I don't think I fully understood my mother's philosophy of making sure her kids aren't alone in this world until I was, in fact, alone in this world.

I don't talk to my sister every day because we both get busy with our lives and it's usually easy to lose touch with people when you don't have day-to-day communication, but that loss is the notable difference between friends and family. I still feel just as connected to my sister as I did when I lived under the same roof. She will always be my most trustworthy friend. That's why it feels like I am sharing a part of me. I am giving you my support system, my personal life consultant to use as your own.

I remember how funny it was when the three of us went to Miami together the summer of 2017 and my sister would refer to you as baby and I would think she was talking to me. She has played a huge part in my upbringing since we didn't have a mom. It was always us against our father, against the bullies on the school bus, against taunting old aunties. We were a team.

No, scratch that. We are a team. I will still bother you guys in the middle of the night, blatantly disrespecting the time zone difference between us if I find myself in trouble and I need my other half to help me.

Don't be fooled, you would not have gotten this far if you weren't approved by me, so it's safe to say that I very much support your relationship.

I don't like to believe that you are taking her away from me. I choose to think that she is bringing you into our bubble. It is a privilege to have this space in our hearts. I already notice the things that make you a great addition to our family and I have only just touched the surface. A part of me hopes to learn more about you and help our relationship grow exponentially as well since we're kind of a package deal. I can't wait to see the beautiful amalgamation of our families take place.