It all began with Uno. Who knew that one game could change my world forever? I remember sitting at the kitchen table with my mom, dad, and brother. It was the one night of the week that we had game night. I don’t remember why, but I wasn’t in the best mood. I just felt like I was going through the motions, smiling, laughing, getting mad at all the draw two cards. And then I drew the card. The one that changed everything. This card was the Wild Customizable Card. On this card my mom had written, “give your mom’s belly a kiss, she’s pregnant.” I had no idea what to say and all that came out was, “I’m not giving mom’s stomach a kiss. That’s so gross and weird.” Immediately the questions began to flood out of me. What did this mean for our family? Will I be forgotten or replaced? Am I even going to be important anymore?
Jump forward five years and I was right. Everything has changed, but not how I thought it would. My sister is my world and my best friend. Her personality grows every day, making me wonder how impactful she will be. Not only is she my sister, but she is also the family comedian. Our house is like a stand-up comedy club every night. With Claire around we don’t need a tv. She entertains us solely by being herself.
One time Claire was about to go to bed and she found a Chinese fan. Instead of using it like a normal human being, she decided to open and close the fan continuously in front of her face, each time making a different hilarious face. I would never have thought this could be so funny but it had mom and me wheezing and it wasn’t just us laughing, Claire was even making herself laugh too. Which just added on to the chaos of that night.
When she gets slap-happy we can never tell what words will come flying out of her mouth. Phrases like “I didn’t fart” or “I’m gonna lick your toes” are just the norm around the house. Not only is she hilarious, but Claire is also my squeezable therapist. Anytime I am having a bad day she will just lay in bed with me, give me the biggest bearhug ever, and listen to me complain. Her warmth is like a fuzzy blanket on a cold winter night. It gives me a new type of reassurance, reminding me that I am never alone. She somehow can tell when I need her the most and is always right there for me to squeeze. At the age of five, Claire can comfort me better than I can comfort myself. She knows exactly what to say to cheer me up. “I love you three thousand sissy.”
In the end, after I thought I would be “skipped”, everything around me ended up being “reversed”. The amount of time I get to spend with my sister is never taken for granted. I remind myself how lucky I am to have a relationship so strong every time I see Claire’s face. Day after day I have thanked God for blessing me with the most beautiful and outstanding person. The pain and discomfort I would be in without Claire would be unimaginable. I hope and pray that when we both get older, our relationship will continue to grow more and more.
This is why Claire has been such an impactful “wild card” to my life.
