Hi! It’s me! Lily!
So Crystal did come back today. She seemed a bit subdued, but I just gave her a big hug. She tensed a bit but then relaxed into it.
“I still understand,” I said.
“I know,” she replied. “Do you even understand…”, her voice trailed off.
“A little. There’s a guy rotting in jail right now because of something he did.” I frowned. “Turns out I know martial arts.”
“Will you teach me?,” she asked hopefully. “If I’d known…”
“I’m not good enough,” I said. “But I’m sure we can work something out. But, I’ve got something very important to ask you.”
“What’s that?”, she asked as we walked over to the couch. I sat down next to her.
“Well,” I said, play-thinking. “I was thinking, and it seems to me that there’s something we can help each other with.”
“What’s that?”, she asked.
“Well, it seems that you’re in need of a big sister, and I don’t have enough younger sisters…”
“But you have a lot of younger sisters! You have Beth, and Mika, and Aika…”
I shook my head furiously. “Not enough younger sisters,” I repeated. “There’s no such thing as enough younger sisters. And, well, I was wondering… do you want a big sister?”
Her eyes widened, and she launched herself at me. “Oh yes! I’d love a big sister!!! Maybe if I’d had a big sister…” she sniffled.
“I can’t promise everything will be okay,” I said as I pulled her off me. “But I’ll do my best”
“Oh, wait,” she said, “you mean you? Well, I’d have to think about it…” But she was smirking. I punched her arm.
“Well,” I said. “The first order of business as a new younger sister of mine is to learn how to brush each others’ hair. Beth and I do that all the time and it’s wonderful.” I smiled. “But we can do that tonight. I think you have some schooling to do.” Sabby chose just that moment to walk in with some books.
Other than that, it was a pretty normal day. We did school and had lunch and Beth and Crystal did some more bonding over schoolwork. Crystal still seemed a bit sad, but I think she’ll get through it. She’s a strong girl, had been through maybe as much as me, and, well, she has me as a big sister now. She has everything she needs!
I’m modest, did I ever say that? I’m a silly billy.
Dave came home a little later, he and Bob had a job site to go to. Dave always says good help is hard to find, and I guess they had to clean up after someone’s mistakes again. Seem the job of an engineer is equally split between making good decisions and cleaning up after people who made bad decisions. But Bob got it taken care of, and Dave seems happy.
Christmas is in ten days! But it’s not really gifts I’m looking for. I have everything I need, and more besides. I just want a day where everyone I love is in one place and we all are one big huge happy family. That’s all I want. Too bad Jack can’t be here. I miss him. I miss his touch.
But we still chat. Sometimes for a long time. He’s actually really smart! He’s sensitive but he isn’t afraid to tell me when I’m being a silly billy. It can hurt for a bit but I love that. He loves how I look and seems to adore my body, but he tells me over and over again that it’s my heart he loves, and I believe him. Maybe that makes me a silly billy too, but I believe him.
Look for the helpers, Mr. Rogers said. Look for the people who make the world better, and you can’t go wrong.