Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

family pooptrait - Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

I had a family of six until Melissa kicked the can.

My sister Melissa was short like my mom, blonde like my dad and when she was younger, she liked to make naked Barbies have sex.

My siblings and I were never given the option to dislike one another, which prompted us to grow close. Before Melissa died, our roles in the family were clearly defined by birth order.

pack leader - Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

middle children - Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

the baby - Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

Joe still needs his diaper changed.

It took me years of relentless teasing to break my brother. Joe and I played fun games together, like me teasing him and him asking me to stop.

“Cut it out!” he would scream.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

Joe would finally walk away.

big teddy - Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

Once his back turned, I dropped his possessions.

My fingers moved in rapid scissor motion. Cutting it out, I murmured: “cut, cut, cut…”

cut it out - Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

He would shout:

scissors - Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

But I was always doing the scissors.

cut it out - Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

As a middle child, my role included skirting my responsibilities.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

Despite my mother’s best efforts, I was usually acquitted.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

My younger sister Emily bought us lunch.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

Melissa was the hardest sibling to torment because she was a step ahead of me. Eighteen months is a significant age difference when you’re a kid.

She knew I was a greedy little girl who loved money, so she glued a quarter to the kitchen floor.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

In high school, I wore cool t-shirts.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

At the same time that I was wearing these shirts, I was desperately trying to hide my issues with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (constant diarrhea).

If I had lived during caveman times, I would have been naturally selected out.

natural selection - Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

Diarrhea is an embarrassing problem.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

And the all-girl mob always follows.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

I would have to hold in diarrhea while peeing. Tortuously unsatisfying.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

I would do anything to keep it from people.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

“Let it go….Let it go…”

Daily diarrhea before 9:00 am is one of my superpowers. When I went off to college, I continued to master the art of hiding my diarrhea problems. The professor of an 8:00 am art class had a strict attendance policy: be late more than twice, and get docked a letter grade.

I spoke with my art professor, hoping to garner sympathy for my case.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

Naturally, she was cool about it.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

Nearing the end of college, I figured I should attempt adult things. So I got a summer internship.

It was the most courageous thing I had ever done.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

While I was abroad, I got a Facebook message about Melissa from someone I didn’t know.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

I was confused by the cryptic message.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

I questioned the cryptic message.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

The Facebook stranger was the first to break the news to me.

I doubt the person had any idea how terrible it felt to receive earth-shattering news from a stranger via social media.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

A lot of things happened quickly.

Head first, I was cast from my coveted position as middle child.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

A new sign formed above my head.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

I was given a new hat.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

With Melissa gone, my time as pack leader had begun.

Oldest sister found dead; real tragedy occurs when middle sister assumes leadership role

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *