Evolution of a Brother and a Sister Love

My sister and I were never very close. Heather and I were born five years apart, with me being older. I went away to college when she was in seventh grade. When I graduated from college, I got a job 100 miles from home. She graduated from high school, got married and pregnant, not necessarily in that order. So the only time we were close was when I was in high school and she was a young kid. I guess that’s why I still think of her as that young kid, even though she’s 38 years old.

The guy she married was a real jerk. My parents didn’t like him, so the only way she could marry him is to get pregnant, which is what happened. He couldn’t hold a job and was unemployed most of the time. He didn’t care as long as he had money to go hunting and fishing. They eventually moved away from my parents, although they relied heavily on support from them. My father bought houses for them to live in and sent money for them to live on. Their child was the only reason my sister stayed with the jerk.

Finally her son graduated from high school and enlisted in the navy to get away from his father. That was all my sister needed; she packed up her bags and moved back in with my parents. She tried to get a job, but she wasn’t having any luck. My parents wanted to sell their house, move to Florida and retire to the warm climate. However, with my sister living with them, they felt an obligation to stay until she got back on her feet.

Here is where I enter the picture. I have been divorced for five years and I live alone in a fairly large sized house, so I invited my sister to come live with me. Jobs were more plentiful where I lived, so she would have a better chance at getting a good paying job. Also, I would have someone to live with me and I could get to really know my sister.

Everyone agreed with my suggestion and I went up to my parents’ place to help her move. She didn’t have much, some clothing and a few other personal items. The clothing she had was out of style and well worn. So, after I got her settled in my house, we went shopping. She didn’t want to take any money from me, but I convinced it was just a loan until she got a job and then she could pay me back.