My sis

When I was five my sister was born. My Family and I lived in a small one bedroom apartment in the Italian neighborhood of East Boston. My dad worked two jobs, and my mom was going to school to learn English and working as well. My sister's crib was kept in the kitchen at night and rolled out to the living room in the mornings. I had a bunk bed in the interim room, between the living room and the kitchen.

Now, being a five year old, I kept thinking, "Why is my sister so boring? All she does is sleep and eat all day." I was hoping for someone to play with because that is what all my relatives were saying while she was still a big lump on my mom's stomach. "You're going to have a sister to play with. Isn't that great?" I really didn't understand that babies get older. I thought there were different types of babies and we got a red dud of a potato. One day my mom has to go out and do laundry at the laundry-mat, literally two blocks down from our apartment. My mom says to me, "Your sister is sleeping, just watch her for me. I have to do some laundry." I said, "Yeah, and that's all she does! Can we exchange her for another?"

So my mom goes out and is doing laundry. I'm watching The Care Bears and it's one of the episode where the cousin Care Bears are helping out (I love that shit). Then all of a sudden my sister wakes up and starts crying. She's yelling as loud as a baby can yell. I run over and she's one upset, little, red potato of a baby. I freak out, ask her to calm down, play with her hands, but all she really wants is to be picked up. I'm five, mind you. I'm as strong as a weak kitten. Then I start crying. I'm five, that's what we do. I run outside the apartment and scream my lungs out like a five year old girl. My poor mother. The Italian woman next door comes over and runs to the laundry mat to get my mom. She comes back, freaking out and I cry some more. Once my mom picks my sister up, she stops crying.

Funny thing is, I swear I saw a smirk on her face and babies that young don't smirk!