If I could say one nice thing about Emily, it would be about the way that she has always looked out for me like any caring, wonderful older sister would for a hapless younger brother. Some of the family may not know, but the first part of my freshman year of high school was kind of rough. In addition to a "D" in Geometry which prompted a threat from Bruce that he would sit with me, "each and every day in that class" until it improved, I also got into a fight during the second week of school.
Without getting into the gritty details, the basic outline of the fight was this: fellow freshman Ruben Yanez accidently took my seat at lunch and neither of us possessed the social skills to work out what most normal people would have considered a minor misunderstanding. He split my lip open, I wrestled him to the ground, the gym teacher broke it up, and then he sucker-punched me again (which I took quite well, I might add) while I was trying to explain what happened. All of this, mind you, happened during the second week of school.
Over a chair.
So there I am, sitting in the office reflecting on my short life and the certain demise that awaited at home later that evening when who should appear the door? None other than my concerned (and a bit incredulous) older sister Emily with a friend or two in tow. I can't imagine how I must have looked sitting there with a wad of paper towel against my mouth and blood and dirt caked on my shirt, but it probably wasn't pretty. Most popular older sisters with cool senior friends would have probably disowned their freshman brothers in similar situations but not Emily. Not only did she show real concern for my immediate physical well-being, but she was also able to convince me that going home that night wouldn't necessarily mean certain death, even if it was only because Dad was too smart to murder me in front of a material witness.
Needless to say, I survived my freshman and all the other years of high school without any more school yard fights. But on the occasion when I did (and do) slip back into the role of the hapless younger brother I'm always happy to know that Emily will be there, facing the public embarrassment of being my sister and providing more comfort and love than I probably deserve.
Happy Birthday Em,
I love you,
Eric
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