Sister — My Sweet Older

She opened the cabinet, pulling out gauze and a bottle of antiseptic that stung. "This is going to hurt a little," she whispered, her voice as soft as the velvet on our living room sofa. "But heroes have to get patched up sometimes. Even Superman goes to the hospital."

| Age Gap | My Age | Event | Her Action | |---------|--------|-------|-------------| | 4 years | 7 | First day of school nerves | Held my hand past the playground bullies without embarrassing me. | | 4 years | 12 | Parents’ argument | Took me for a “night walk” with hot cocoa, distracting me until the house was calm. | | 4 years | 16 | First heartbreak | Sat on my bedroom floor at 11 PM, letting me cry, then said, “His loss. You’re a catch.” | | 4 years | 21 | College rejection letter | Called me within 2 minutes. Said, “This is a redirect, not a rejection of you.” | my sweet older sister

I was a chaotic child. I was the boy who jumped in mud puddles on the way to church, who accidentally set the kitchen curtains on fire trying to toast a marshmallow over a candle, and who lost his shoes more times than I owned them. Elara, conversely, was the sort of girl who never had a hair out of place. She was the calm to my storm. She opened the cabinet, pulling out gauze and

I felt the tears prick my eyes, hot and shameful. "I just... I don't know who I am, El. Everyone expects me to be like you. The smart one. The good one." Even Superman goes to the hospital

Time moves forward, whether we want it to or not. Don't rush to be older, and don't rush to be someone else. You have plenty of time to figure out who you are. I’ll always be here, just a phone call away. Keep ticking. Love, Elara.