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A fleeting, subjective impression

By: Allison Elizabeth Whitney
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Friday, 3-Jul-2009 02:41 Email | Share | Bookmark
Ava Elise

 
The youngest in the family is leaving for university. You'd never believe it with the way she awes at my belly, rubs it, and makes fun with the "You're growing a penis inside of you!" comment. I have to remind her I've done this before.

She's moving to D.C. and will be going into art and museum studies.

I think I kind of understand the freak out parents go through when their children leave for university. While Ava is very intelligent, she can't wash her own clothes. She's never used a washing machine. She doesn't know how to change a tire. She knows no self defense moves. She tries to program her GPS and drive at the same time instead of pulling over. Her cooking is okay, but she's set the smoke alarm off many times. She has fallen asleep in her room with a candle burning. The list goes on.

I don't think my parents are as nervous as I am. They've done this many times already. They will miss her. However, I'm her sister. I know her secrets, and I know all the bad she's done that she hasn't told mom and dad about.

I think she realizes this is the last step before the big show. She's been staying here with me lately, and after Ian goes to bed, we stay up late, eat popcorn, and watch old movies. She tells me she's scared. I've never heard Ava say she's scared of anything. Well, maybe when she had her appendix removed. I remind her how much fun is to be had, and I will visit her every chance I get since I leave for D.C. about twice a year for work alone. I try so hard not to be sad around her. I hate that she won't be here to meet the baby when he arrives. She won't come over at nine at night with movies in tow asking if she can sleep over. I won't have my shopping partner, and she won't meet me at work for a quick lunch and laugh anymore. I won't have her around.

I'm going to miss my baby sister. D.C. better be nice to her, or I will kick its ass.

Most recent comments... (In posting order)Care to comment?
You have made me think back to when I left home. As the oldest of three, I have two sisters: one three years younger, and one eight years younger. We were and still are very close, but I think I was at the time, completely oblivious to the effects my leaving had upon them.
I was 19 at the time, leaving for service in the Air Force. So one sister was in high school, and the other was... in sixth grade? It was a time before cell phones and e-mail. So I made collect calls home sometimes, and we wrote letters. Wrote a lot of letters. My younger sister and I continued for many years to write letters, filled with news and feelings and hand-drawn cartoons and newspaper clippings. We still get them out once in a while and laugh till we cry. She even put all my letters to her together into a book a couple of years ago and presented them to me. I cried again then.
For your sister to go directly to WDC might be a major life-changing shock to her system. I suspect there will be a steep learning curve from the University of Hard Knocks. But if she is smart and resilient ~ and lots of good advice accepted from others who might already know a thing or two ~ she'll probably come out the other end of the experience intact.

Beautiful women seem to run in your family.
Thu 9-Jul-2009 12:11
Posted by:JP  - [Link]


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