Sadie, my little sister, and I had a rough past. She didn’t like how I was the sick kid who took all of our parents’ attention away from her. I was shocked when she asked me to be her maid of honor. The offer looked like a chance to get back in touch, but nothing could have prepared me for how embarrassing the bridesmaid dress she picked out for me would be: it was purposely too big on me.
As a child, Sadie’s jealousy showed up as mean jokes and mean statements. The way we were together was like a “dumpster fire.” Still, I dared to hope things had changed as I stood by her side on her wedding day.
Sadie seemed kinder and less likely to make fun of people during the last dress fitting. He and I had a real moment together, and I started to think that maybe we could put our differences aside.
But the day of the wedding was a hard wake-up call. Sadie’s “mistake” with my dress was a planned attack on my confidence. I felt lonely and ignored, like that sick little girl.
Aunt Marie stepped in and magically appeared with a beautiful new dress decorated with tiny beads. As I slipped into it, I felt better about myself again. Sadie’s jaw dropped, and she looked bad for a moment.
We apologized from the bottom of our hearts and agreed to work things out. The wedding was lovely, and as we danced at the reception, I understood that moving on with my life is sometimes the best way to get even.
Sadie and I started over, letting go of old grudges. In the fire of love and forgiveness, our bond was born again. As we danced under the lights, I knew this was just the start of our journey together as sisters.
