My B-side

Family Tying

Last night, I sat across the long dining room table from Carrie Knarian-McDonald and Shani Jolly. We were eating our Christmas feast and each of these two older cousins nudged and dug at their food discussing what should and shouldn’t be consumed. You might think they were on a diet…I guess that’s somewhat true. Both Carrie and Shani are pregnant...by the way lunchmeat is a big no-no if you are with child. I could contribute little to the conversation not even just because I’m -65 months along but because our family grew apart along time ago leaving my ties with them somewhat... how shall i put it... frayed. As I listened to them babble on about names and leading baby care brands I thought back to my earliest memory with the two of them. I was five in my Aunt Debbie’s van. My mom and aunt were up front in the captain chairs and the three of us girls were on the back seat that was folded down to make a bed. We were heading home from a gymnastics meet in Ohio, I was sitting patiently on the floor of the vehicle as my two older cousins weaved Kleenex’s into my hair. I remember my tender head throbbed from their pulls but almost gladly enduring the pain to be apart of my cousins’ experiment. My rag rolled hair was taken out the next day…and it was a job well done for two 10 year olds. None of us had sisters and so we claimed each other in these moments. When I came back to a conversation of due date miscalculations, I missed them. That’s the worst, to miss them when they are right there in front of you. I wish I could have asked them to rag roll my hair.

posted by Melissa at 01:25