My Sister’s Kids

Beacons in a semi-dark world.

I’ve mentioned my sister, Diane, in several of my Medium stories. The reason: I love her to death. After watching her care for our terminally ill parents, in her home, she became my hero. But, that’s not the only reason why. She’s a good person, in a world that could use more good people. People with empathy. People who genuinely give a shit.

Diane is the yin to my yang.

My sister is ten years younger than I. A “mistake,” she turned out to be the apple of my parents’ eye. And for good reason: She was always, always there for them. While I was in the middle of one of my “cooling off” periods, during one of our frequent rifts, Diane was their go-to girl for shopping, doctors’ appointments…whatever they needed.

When we were kids, that ten years felt insurmountable. We shared a room in our Skokie, Illinois home. That, in and of itself, is a story.

While I was exercising to “I Shot the Sheriff,” turned up to a foundation-shaking level, Diane was futzing around with her CB radio! (Yes I said “CB radio.” At the time, it was a thing.)

Needless to say, in such close quarters, my sister and I fought. A lot.

As the years progressed, the gap in our ages…was not so gaping. Slowly, gradually, it closed, like a cut that needs time to heal.

I was never the maternal type, except when it came to animals. Something in me, my inner voice, I guess, suggested that maybe, kids weren’t for me. I’ve never regretted it, and neither has my husband.

Oh, I thought about becoming a mother. Of giving birth. Mostly around the holidays when advertisers would air their sappiest commercials. But, at the time, my husband and I were both working at the Chicago Sun-Times and loving it. We had the newspaper during the day, and after five, the city’s best restaurants beckoned. We dug ourselves a groove that we didn’t want to deviate from.

Diane was different. She always wanted kids. And, when she married, it wasn’t long before she became pregnant with her first child, a boy. My nephew, Dean.

I was beyond excited. Diane often told me, “This will be OUR baby.” And, I believed her.

Dean was followed by Ryan, and then, because my sister always wanted a daughter, she didn’t stop there. And damn it, if she didn’t succeed. Hello, baby Megan!

After three tough Cesarean sections, Diane had her brood. Three children for her. Two nephews and a niece for me, the proud and bemused bystander.

Something didn’t compute: When did my sister become an adult? This kid, this baby who was ten years my junior, was now, a wife and mother.

No more gap. How could there be?

I watched Diane mother her children while working full time and I marveled at her energy. That’s not to say her husband, Jeff, wasn’t a good dad, he just wasn’t as hands-on, as my sister.

We hear a lot about fucked up kids these days. Whether this is due to problems in school, internal pressures, bullying on social media, or simply, bad parenting, I couldn’t say. But, I can avow, with all certainty, that my sister raised some pretty awesome kids.

Sure, they had their issues, their bumps in the road, but Diane worked through all this and now, her children are kicking ass. Children who clearly adore their mother.

Dean, smart as a whip, has a great job in downtown Chicago, a beautiful, sweet girlfriend, and Brody — their canine “baby.”

Ryan is a suburban police officer and, as my Dad used to say, we’re “busting our buttons” over him. He aced every test the academy threw at him. Ryan is the epitome of a “good boy,” and inherited his mother’s sweet nature.

Megan is a junior in college, and still trying to figure it all out. She may follow in her Aunt Sherry’s footsteps and become a writer. As long as she follows her heart, I’m certain she’ll have the world by the tail.

Diane’s “kids.” All grown up. As Judy Collins sang, “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?” The hell if I do. It goes too fast. That’s all I know.

Diane and I have a brother who is no longer in our lives. He, too, has three children. Two boys and a girl. Like my sister. All very close in age. We never see them. I couldn’t tell you what they do or who they’re doing it with. Shit happens and life goes on. Families…right?

Dean, Ryan, Megan — I know you’re going to make the world a brighter place. A better place. You already are. And your Uncle Jack and I couldn’t be more proud.

Thanks, sis. You did good.

Sherry McGuinn is a longtime Chicago-area writer and award-winning screenwriter. Her work has appeared in The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and numerous other publications. Sherry’s manager is currently pitching her newest screenplay, a drama with dark, comedic overtones and inspired by a true story.

Thanks for reading. For more like this: