Your Story

Remember when you were little and your Mom would tell you that boys weren't actually as gross as you thought they were? Then your sister would tell you all about how cool boys were and how cute they were, and you would just sit there in confusion. Then in a few years your brother would start telling you about the idiotic things boys would do so you wouldn't be interested in them? And then in another couple of years your Dad would finally come out and tell you how boys couldn't be trusted and any boy that comes near you and hurts you will be hunted down and killed?

What about when you first get in to high school and all your parents can say is that you look so grown up and they are so proud? Your brother and sister just stand of to the side and let you have all the attention and then when you go off to school with them for your first day, they ditch you. But you can't say anything about it to your parents because you got the 'dobbing talk' last year when you told on them for being mean to you.

And that moment when you're the last of your family to graduate high school? Your brother and sister have already left home, leaving you alone with your parents most of the time, but they fly back just to see you graduate as the school captain and getting the school Dux. Your Mom and Dad say they have never been more proud of you, and your Mom even starts crying. Your brother and sister are still there but they've already gotten bored of the ceremony and they want to go home, but you can't hide the joy of seeing them after such a long time. 

You're now in university, and you have no idea how the hell you got through high school with the amount of dumb ideas you've come up with by now. You got drunk for the first time and you went home, only to be locked out of the house and not allowed in because your Dad wanted to teach you a lesson. Your best friend has abandoned you so you call your brother for him to come and get you when you realise you're actually not going to be let in, but he doesn't come for you. The only person left to help you is your sister, but someone else answers her phone because she's too pissed to do anything but lie giggling on the floor.

You finally move out from your parents’ house and move in with your long-time boyfriend. He's cheating on you and you know it, but you love him so much that you don't want to leave him. But it eventually becomes too much and you leave him and go live in your brothers spare room. It wasn't your first choice, but you weren't going to move back in with your parents because you left on bad terms, and your sister was always too hung over whenever you called so you forgot about it, leaving you with your brother.

Your brother has a roommate. He becomes your best friend and soon after, your boyfriend. You've been hurt before so that makes you cautious, but you love him more than you've ever loved any other boy. Your brother gives you permission to date and you start falling deeply in love. Your sister drops by one day to tell you that she is moving to New York with her best friend. Your Mom and Dad announce at one last family dinner before your sister leaves that they are getting a divorce. 

You're on your five year anniversary with your boyfriend and he proposes. You ask your sister, who you haven't seen since she ran out of the room after your parents announced their divorce, to be your Maid of Honour and your Fiancé asks you brother to be his best man. They both accept and come back home to plan for the wedding. Your parents are ecstatic about your marriage and both want to be a part of the organising. 

It's the end of your wedding day and you and your husband are dancing one last slow dance before you call it a night. Your Mom and Dad are dancing with each other in the corner of the room talking about God-knows-what but laughing all the same. Your brother left an hour ago with a pretty blond but you can see them outside joking around and sharing playful kisses. Your sister is sitting with your all-time favourite university lecturer talking about going back to university to finish her education.

Your two kids are waking you up at five in the morning and asking you to get the TV remote because it fell behind the couch again so you roll over and hit your husband on the shoulder because he left it on top of the couch again. You get a phone call from your Mom telling you that she's no longer free to baby-sit because she's going out to a play with your Dad, who are still divorced but only because they are too stubborn to admit they are in love. You ask your sister to come and baby-sit but she's too busy studying for her final exams. You would ask you brother but you already knew that he would be too busy looking after his pregnant girlfriend to help. You ask your best friend and she accepts because she wants you to have an amazing night at the new restaurant opening down town. 

You found your first grey hair today. Your husband assures you that you are still the most beautiful and perfect girl in the universe and your three children all say that you're old now. Your sister comes over to discuss her wedding plans and tells you not to worry about the greys because that's why hair dye was invented. Your brother just laughs when you tell him so you make fun of his near bald head making his wife laugh along. Both your parents, who now have all grey hair told you that it won't be the last and to just embrace it. You go with your sister’s plan.

Your last parent's funeral was today and you stayed strong throughout it but now you are alone with you husband and you just cry. Your sister is in no state to help you so you sit together, hugging and cry until the tears don't come anymore. Your brother is trying to stay strong for your sake and your sisters but you can tell he's going to break soon. 

Your kids have all left home and now you just sit at home and try to keep the house presentable in its old age. Your sister and her husband regularly come over for dinner while your brother drops in occasionally depending on if he's in the area or not, his wife comes over almost every day and she quickly became your best friend. 

It's just you and your children now. And their children of course. Your husband has passed away and your brother and sister followed after that, leaving you with the children and the grandchildren, even some great grandchildren. You live in a retirement village and you can feel death coming your way, but you don't want to leave because you don't want to leave your children.

You died today.