I amuse myself in entertaining the question as to which of us is who, as I can’t help but find parallels between that of the momentary closure of the great Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion Dr. Watson, and you and I:
Two persons, sisters, both in blood and in bond. Unable to resist a touch of the dramatic, they rampage the streets by night, caught up in the unveiling of endlessly vile heists of all measures and classifications {theme music a necessity}.
They are to one another a sounding board, a confidante, a keeper of secrets. They are the closest connection to the other’s identity, fellow schemers, as close as two sisters could be. They are to other the closest adviser, teacher, and a most effective chearer-upper. They are the other a most avid defense attorney, a shrink, if you will. They are the greatest partners in crime the world has yet to see, the most astute of midnight companions. They know when the other is smiling, even in the dark. It is with one another they share their imaginary worlds and endlessly absurd and ridiculous fictional creations concocted in the dead of night. They fight with and for each other. It is with one another that they spill their unguarded thoughts, breathing the hidden yearnings that the world is too large to understand. It has always been these two who have pulled one another {and sometimes joined one another in} the deep water they often find themselves in, to make the other laugh so hard she can't breathe and sing so loud she’s lost her voice. They have a history of co-conspiracies and stealthy getaways that have the most notorious of contendors scratching their chins.
But now they must part, move on, let go, knowing full well each will be leaving a thin heartstring, a part of oneself with the other no matter the distance between them. All it took was one summer; one summer and forever would become something real, something worth fighting for, something of a whisper behind their everyday soliloquies. It may have had everything or nothing to do with the family into which they were born, but it was within that family that they were given the rare opportunity to know and be known by one who shares blood and body, history and dreams, common ground, the unknown adventures of the future, darkest secrets and the glassiest beads of truth.
As you run headlong into college life, I know you will come a bit closer to finding out what it means to be Mckenzie Rae Lowry. I can’t wait to hear about it all and see how you will grow, how you will change. However, there are some attributes I hope never change, no matter where you go.
Never lose that look in your eye when you’ve struck a great idea – how you hold it for a while, letting it hang in the air until I can’t take it anymore and have to know. Never lose your impeccably lethal need to experience it all, at the cost of sleep, health and reason. Never lose those whimsical freckles of yours that I so envy. Never lose that moment you look in the mirror before you head out, knowing you look good – I mean really good – comprehending at the very smallest degree, how absolutely lovely you are. Never lose your power of deduction and love of learning. Never lose sight of the fact that the horizons of your dreams are endless. Never stop begging someone, anyone, to stay up late to whisper French phrases or act out novel scenes. Never give up on those dreams you hold so closely. You will see Africa; and she will love you. And there is more. So much more. Never lose your ability to understand people – the way you understand me even at my most insane and hormonal of moments. Never stop seeing every spare minute in your life as an invitation for some grand & spontaneous adventure. Never look down – keep your head as high as you always have when the storms of life lash against you. Never lose your acute perfectionism, nor your fierce loyalty. Never stop amazing those around you by your ability to put others above yourself; don’t lose that part of you that cries in ecstasy when giving involves particular inconvenience on your part. And finally, never, never lose your passion for life. It’s what I love most about you.
I know you have in front of you a round of bad Monday mornings, and a heap of really, really good Friday nights. If ever you need to share it with someone, I’m always on the other end of the line or the page or the screen – ready to listen when you just need an ear, to advise when you are in a sticky situation, to remind if you’ve forgotten who you are, or just to exchange the wild stories of your day-to-day goings on when it seems that the distance between us is far too great.
It seems to me that there isn't anything more worth fighting for than that.
And finally, in the beautifully sung words of Mr. Criss, I conclude: I don’t want to see you go, but it’s not forever, not forever. Even if it was you know that I would never let it get me down because you are the part of me that makes me better wherever I go. So I will try not to cry, for no one needs to say goodbye.
I could never love anyone as I love you, my sister,
@ 2011 by Rachel Lowry. All Rights Reserved.
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