When I was in high school, whenever my friends and I got ready for a dance, one of my friend’s always had a sister that helped with her hair or makeup. I am the oldest, so I never had an older sister to help me. I either did my own hair or makeup, had a friend help or, sometimes, a friend’s sister helped me.Â
I always used to wish that I had an older sister of my own to help me get ready. This past weekend I got to be the older sister who helped the younger one get ready for their dance. Saturday was my sisters’ homecoming. My one sister did her own hair, but the other sister asked me to curl her hair.
She asked me because no one else she knew had a curling iron, but I chose to ignore the fact that I was her last resort lol.Â
Now getting my sister anywhere is a pain. I texted her throughout the week asking what time she was coming over and her response every time- if she graced me with a response- was IDK. She did not decide about what time she was coming over until like two hours before she came over.Â
Then when she got there, she lectured me on the type of curls that she wanted. “I do not want to look like an Irish dancer” is what she said. She wanted her curls to be loose. So, I set to work doing loose curls throughout her hair.
We bickered throughout the styling, but afterwards she thanked me for being willing to do her hair.Â
I know doing her hair and spending that time together might be a small thing to some people, but it meant everything to me. When I was growing up, my sisters were always closer to each other than me which I understood because they are fifteen months apart, whereas I am three and four years apart from them both.Â
They have some of the same friends because of their age proximity, whereas my friends were mine alone. They played on the same soccer team for years. I played soccer once at four years old and hated it so much I swore I would never play again, and I stuck to that. They have been in classes together, while I am too much older than them to have ever had a class with them.Â
Even though I understood why they were closer to each other, I still felt left out and wished to be closer to them. The funny thing is after leaving the house for college, I have become closer to each of them. I got what younger me always wanted, which is why doing my sister’s hair hit something deep within me.Â
I have no idea where I will be this time next year, so I am grateful for the time I can spend with my sisters now. Being the oldest sister is hard at times, but I wouldn’t change anything. And to my sisters, if they are reading this, I know I do not say it often, but I do love you both.Â