Memories of My Little Sis

Bouncing Sister 

When Valerie was around 4 or 5, one evening just before Mom and Dad left for their “night out,” I was given strong instructions to behave and be kind to my sisters. Soon after they were gone, I convinced Valerie to jump on the big, springy double bed in our parents’ bedroom. I remember bouncing, laughing and having a great time. That is, until I bounced Valerie as hard as I could…right off the bed and against the bedroom wall. She immediately started screaming and crying and I knew I was in big trouble. (Of course it was all about me, not thinking too much about how I might have hurt my sister.) When Mom and Dad got home, Dad took Valerie to the emergency room and it was discovered that I had helped brake her collar bone. Dad was not a happy camper when he got home. I somehow was successful in never bouncing Valerie off the bed again!

Dripping Blood 

I grew up with a fairly vivid imagination that could occupy much of my time. But Valerie had me beat, hands down. Most of the time, Val was in some far off kingdom playing the role of a beautiful princess in distress. I, on the other hand, became Captain Kirk or Charleton Heston’s character in Planet of the Apes fighting for my life. One summer day, we were extra bored. Against family rules and while Mom was away, my sisters and I decided to watch Dark Shadows, a popular soap opera basically about the love life of vampires. While watching the little black and white TV in our unfinished basement, we heard booming thunder outside and the sound of rain falling hard. During the final set of commercials, someone looked up and said, “Look at the blood!” (I think it might have been Lauri.) I remember feeling astonished seeing something wet dripping down several areas of the concrete wall and immediately transported myself onto the set of Dark Shadows. I’m pretty sure Valerie was as terrified as I was.  We later discovered, after running up the stairs and hesitantly returning to the scene of the crime, that the blood was just rainwater. Although relieved to know we were safe, I remember feeling a little disappointed that it was just another boring summer day.

Snow Drama

My final memory has 6-year old Valerie and I trudging through fairly deep Utah snow, making our way home from Truman Elementary after school was over. Valerie had her hair up in a golden bun and she was carrying a large book bag full of schoolwork. I remember thinking she was walking way too slow, causing me to fall behind my friends. After repeatedly warning that she needed to pick up the pace, I began threatening that I would leave her behind. My patience finally wore out as my friends disappeared ahead of me. I turned to Val and officially announced I was leaving and that she would need to find her own way home.  As I moved ahead and left her further and further behind, I heard her crying my name. But I was determined to teach her a lesson. At some point, Valerie decided to plant her little body in the snow and pour all her energy into expressing her grief. At some point soon after that, I felt a rush of guilt and sadness and decided to abandon catching up with my friends and take care of my little sister. As I returned to the drama, I felt ashamed as I realized that Valerie literally thought she had been left to the wild elements of nature and that she would never see me again. I wiped her tears and gave her a hug and told her I was sorry. To some extent, I still feel that feeling of sorrow today as I think of that sweet, imaginative little girl who just needed her big brother to slow down and care for her.