They are only one year apart. They share the same parents, same rules, same chores, and same days, yet their lives are so very different.
She’s in school face to face. He is in school virtually.
She is an extrovert who takes chances and lives to brighten everyone’s day.
He is the shy introvert who assesses all the risks.
She loves dance, Barbies, and friends.
He loves baseball, Xbox, and alone time.
She loves to read books.
He loves a challenging math problem.
She loves ice cream and sugar.
He has never asked for a sweet in his entire life.
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You could meet them for five minutes and see how opposite they are, from the melanin God gave each of them to the way they interact with the outside world.
What you would also see, though, is how much they love each other.
When she’s in school, he says he misses her.
When he’s at a friend’s house, she wants him to come home.
He always tells her good luck before a dance competition.
She always tells him to hit it out of the park before a game.
When he’s upset, she tries to make him laugh.
When she’s upset, he always asks her what’s wrong.
They still hug when they make up.
They have inside jokes only they understand and childhood games like “Mama Cocoa” that nobody else knows how to play, including me.
Next year he starts middle school, and it will be the first time they don’t share a bus or a mascot.
They are growing up and I’m noticing just how different their lives will be once they are out of this childhood home they share.
I don’t know what the teenage years will bring, but they have already started to bicker and argue as all siblings do.
I’m definitely not certain of what lies ahead in each of their adult worlds either.
What I do know though is they will always have each other’s back.
I know they will support each other’s dreams.
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I know they will help one another regardless of the need.
I know they share an unbreakable bond the outside world doesn’t get access to.
She is her brother’s keeper.
He is his sister’s keeper.
And they will forever keep each other.