And Then There Were Three
Yes, even in black and white, it’s clear these three girls have blonde hair. So we’re one-for-three. Are they even girls? I don’t know, but I did my best.
I wrote a while back about my sister Julia moving into the city a mere two blocks from me. Now, Katie has moved in across town, and the gang is back together. My parents are once again empty nesters, but they have a one-stop-shop: The Big Apple, which doesn’t feel so big any more.
I have a feeling this is how it’s going to look for a while. Yes, Katie will head back to Syracuse for her final semester in the spring, but chances are she’ll be back. Her industry is here. Julia is happy at her job and I at mine, and despite the insane cost of living, NYC has too much to offer for us to abandon her any time soon.
This doesn’t always happen.
Most families—as the kids grow older and find themselves on different career paths—split up across the country, or at least across the tristate area. Maybe Boston? For some, California beckons. Even Florida recruits a few, though those people are crazy. Often, the grown kids have to hop on planes to head “home for the holidays,” but as of right now, the three of us only need the MetroNorth, so we remain spoiled despite the rising ticket prices.
I know my parents are happy about this. Though they talk about moving to Connecticut some day (how dare they?!), they’re grateful that for now, we’re all close. Close to them, but mostly close to each other, so we can help each other out. (Edit: so I can help my sisters out / so my sisters have me nearby when they need help.)
Now that we’re all here, I once again need to summon my big sister superpowers. Just the other day, leaving my apartment, Katie ventured out to ride a NYC bus for the first time by herself. She was a little apprehensive. I walked her to the stop and watched her find a seat as the bus pulled away, “just like the first day of school.” (A week later, she came by to watch a movie, but this time she walked herself to the bus. They grow up so fast.)
The morning after Katie’s first sleep in NYC, we met at 59th and 6th to run five miles in Central Park. As far as I know, she’s run there since without me, but I showed her the way. We have plans to try a donut shop in Brooklyn together and to go to Buffalo Exchange for some fall clothes shopping. Sure, maybe we could have made this all happen if she were in Westchester and I were here, but likely not. Even an hour apart by car, our lives seemed so separate. Now, they are connected, operating on the same little island.
We three experience the same weather patterns now, the same subway fare hikes, the same dangerous and thrilling walk for a morning bagel. We can plan dinners together without much coordination. We can recommend doctors to each other.
When we’re young, it’s easy to take our siblings for granted, or to wish they were never born (I’ll let you decide who yelled that at whom), but now that we’re grown and have experienced physical separation, we know how special it is to have each other so close.
Katie will be busy with class and with her internship, but if she ever needs to put her feet up, she has two couches to choose from, only two blocks apart. It’s nice that I am able to offer this simple service to my sisters, because even if this proximity lasts a while, it won’t last forever.
It’s easy to lose yourself in the magnitude of NYC, but the three of us will have reliable tethers for the next few months. And even if they don’t call on me, I know where they live.