Sisters

Hola peoples! How was your weekend?

Mine was good but busy.

Friday, my sister and I went to the movies to see Sex and the City. Of course. We were both big fans of the show (she owns the series DVDs) and I made sure to buy my tickets the day before so they wouldn't sell out. We loved it, by the way.
Before we went to the theatre, we went to Fuji, a restaurant similar to Benihana. The food was SO good. She tried plum wine for the first time. We had a bottle of that and sake as well. Needless to say, we had a good time. LOL
Interestingly enough, this has been the first time in a LONG time that my sister and I have gone out together.
As I said in my previous post, when we were little my sister and I were thick as thieves. Even through high school, we were close. The only thing we really argued about is clothes. We wear the same size so we were always in each other's closet. Chelle's style is great so I loved borrowing her stuff. And she liked borrowing mine but she would always ruin my shit. Leather jackets would come back ripped up. Sweaters with unexplainable stains that wouldn't come out. It got to the point where I told her she couldn't borrow my stuff anymore, period. When I went off to college, Chelle still lived at home with my parents. I still remember the night she called me at school and told me she was pregnant. I didn't believe her at first but as she explained it, I knew she was telling the truth. In high school, she was IN LOVE with this loser dude named Curtis. She'd sneak out the house at night to go see him, sneak him to our house when our parents were out or at work. I was in shock but oddly comforted by the fact that at least she had graduated high school.
I came home one weekend and she was watching TV on the couch. She hadn't told my parents about her pregnancy yet because she was still able to suck her tiny belly in. Later that night, she stuck her tummy out and I could tell it wouldn't be long before she couldn't hide it anymore.
A few weeks later, I got a frantic call from my mom. Did I know Chelle was pregnant??? Did I know she was having sex??? Did she tell me what was going on??? I played dumb. That's what siblings do. LOL
My parents told her that she had to keep the baby and made an effort to get to know Curtis' family. I'm sure they were disappointed at first but soon enough they were buying baby stuff and decorating the nursery. I'd come home some weekends amazed at how different Chelle looked each time. She was a stick so she was all belly. If you looked at her from the back, you couldn't tell she was pregnant. We'd go shopping together and at night I'd lay in the bed with her and rub cocoa butter on her stomach. At this point, she was still responsible. Taking classes at the local university and working a few days a week. Curtis's family pretended to support her.
On December 29, 2001 at 7:47 am, my nephew, Jalen Ray Murphy was born. My mom and I were in the hospital with my sister for 3 days while she was in labor. Where was Curtis, you ask? Shit, I'd still like to know the answer to that question.
After Jalen was born, my sister was still doing ok. She had the full support of my family even if she didn't have that of Curtis' family. Their role in Jalen's early life was spotty, at best. Chelle tried really, really hard to get them to do their part but they're heathens so it was almost impossible. Shortly after that, Chelle just...flipped out. For some reason, she wanted to be Ms. Independent and decided she wanted to move out. I think my parents were on her a lot as far as caring for Jalen. Chelle didn't know how to be a mother. And that showed in the nonchalant way she did things. This was my parent's first grandbaby so they weren't having it. I remember the day she moved out (into a friend's house with 56 other people living there) she wouldn't even let me hold Jalen. She was so PISSED for some reason. The people who had been there since she first announced her pregnancy, she was now against. I was hurt and I didn't understand.
She'd bring Jalen around sometimes but it was hard to go from having him around all day every day to only seeing him a couple times a week. She eventually moved into a 1 bedroom apartment down the street from my parent's. She really wanted to prove that she could do this on her own. We saw Jalen more but we also saw Michelle turn into someone we didn't know.
To this day, I still cannot say that I don't think my sister was on drugs. She just acted so...crazy, I didn't know what else it could be.
She'd have all types of people at her apartment at all times of the day and night. She'd have dudes spending the night when she and Jalen shared a bedroom. I know she was smoking around him because he'd smell like smoke when I saw him. I think she always made sure he was fed but she was losing weight like crazy.
At one point, I was living in the same apartment building as she was. I was on the first floor and she was on the fourth. I'd go upstairs sometimes to visit and no one would answer the door. I could hear Jalen talking to me through the door but he was too little to open it. My sister would be passed out in the other room. I'd try to get Jalen to wake her up but she wouldn't budge. Imagine if something were to happen to Jalen while she was asleep. This was my constant worry.
We all tried to talk to her. She didn't want to hear it. She'd curse and argue and even walk out. My mom would pop up just to see who my sister had at her apartment. If they looked shady, she would run them outta there.
My sister kept losing job after job and eventually got evicted. Her car was also repossessed. She moved back in with my parents for a while but she was so unruly that my mom kicked her out. But my parents told her they were keeping Jalen with them. Fortunately, my sister agreed that would be for the best. She didn't have anywhere to live, really. She moved in with a friend and Jalen continued to live with my parents.
You could see the difference in him. He thrived in the stable home environment that my parents offered him.
When my sister came around, she was often drunk or high. She claimed up and down that she didn't smoke weed but you could smell it all over her. Again, we all tried to talk to her but she blew us off. My mom threatened to file for custody if Chelle didn't get it together and my sister threatened to hate her forever.
About 6 months ago, my parents allowed my sister to move back in. I don't know what the change was for her but it was extreme.
Michelle obtained and kept a job. She enrolled in Medical Assistant classes and dropped all the people she used to hang around. She started going to church and spending QUALITY time(fishing, bowling, movies - not just sleeping while he watched cartoons) with Jalen. She started helping out around the house. Cooking, cleaning, paying bills.
She is now on the Dean's List at her school and will be graduating in September. Jalen is on the President's list at his school and is doing so, so well.
Before, Chelle and I didn't see each other or talk to each other. Talking to her was like talking to a brick wall. The people that she surrounded herself with influenced her in so many negative ways. We were not close at all.
Now, she and I talk a couple times a week. We talk about school and boys and clothes and hair and makeup. I feel like I have my sister back and I thank God for that.