Sisters

I still remember the night we stayed up until 3 a.m. talking,

even though we had to get up at 6 a.m. to catch the bus.

I still remember looking at your face in the dark without my glasses on

and only seeing the hazy outline of your head resting on the pillow next to mine.

I remember wanting to burst into laughter,

but having to muffle my giggles with my hands because everyone else was sleeping.

I remember going from talking about the contestants we hated on ‘Love Is Blind’

to talking about our fears about applying and going off to college.

I remember how you told me about your fear of God

and how I told you that I wished I believed in Hinduism, so I could feel less whitewashed.

I remember how the night before was the first time I had cried in front of you,

how I knew I was only crying because I was stressed out and hadn’t eaten all day,

how I knew I would get over it when I got something to eat.

But you sat with me on the bed as I ate a Wawa burrito

and watched ‘Bluey’ with me on the hotel TV

and jokingly, but also comfortingly, rubbed my back while I calmed down.

In that moment, you became my big sister.

You, who I had only really known for a year,

became like someone who had known me all my life.

Priya Gowda ‘25

This piece is about the really strong bonds you can form with people who you've only known for a little bit of time and how you don't have to be related by blood to feel like you are family with someone else.