In this short story collection characters are faced with the realization of how the real world we live in really is. How the most beautiful things, are able to shred us to pieces.
A girl who is protected by her past.
Another who isn't as important...
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Dear Sister,
I don't know why I'm even writing this. I can just text you, however I have no idea how to say this over text. The truth is maybe I don't want you to ever read this.
You know I love you right? And everything I'm about to say doesn't decrease any of that love. This isn't your fault and deep in me I've known that for years.
As an older sister, you always had to be there for me, even if you wanted to or not. Yes, I was an annoying child and you had to deal with me. I was still young and people didn't put any expectations on me.
Well that soon changed, didn't it?
I can't pinpoint when it happened exactly. I think it was more of a gradual progression, but my first vivid memory was when I was in the fourth grade and you had left the country for university. That was when I started to hear the same sentences repeatedly.
You have to work hard to be like your sister.
Your sister was so good at this.
You will be lucky if you become half as good as your sister.
There was more, much more but at some point they all started to blend together. And it wasn't only our parents, but friends and family. Every word would hit me like bricks.
From 6th to 8th grade it started to become so frequent that I started hating you. Maybe you can recall that period. It was when I started to talk to you less on the phone. When I look back I'm ashamed at myself, but I can't deny it.
You would come home for break and I wanted to be mad at you, but you were so supportive and amazing that I couldn't find it in me to do it.
I was mad.
Mad at our parents for putting so much on my plate I felt suffocated.
Mad at the people that barely knew me, but had to give me a piece of their mind.
And in the end I was mad at myself for not being the perfect girl everyone wanted me to be.
Last year is when I started to reflect on this. It took me so long to realize something so simple. None of this was your fault.
It was jealousy. A green eyed monster as they call it, and they are right. It is a monster. It creeps up at any moment and ruins everything.
I can't believe I almost ruined my relationship with you because people can't shut up.
And I realize that you probably had it harder than me. You were the one that had to be perfect for me to look up to. Now I know better.
I love when we talk until late at night about nothing and everything. I love when you read my stories and encourage me to write more and you are the only one in my family I trust to read them. You back me up whenever people hurt me and I hope you would be here with me all the time, but you have to live your own life too.
I don't know how to end this. Maybe to tell you that I love you, but you know I'm not good with words and I could never express something so strong. At least I'm trying to, everyday.
