My Sister

I thought the best of my sister, even as she abandoned her plans to attend the University of Oregon in order to follow her boyfriend down to California. I figured she’d learn a lot about money, the real world, and maybe even about saving money.

I didn’t worry too much when she thought she could make it all right by renting an apartment in Azusa. It would be a good lesson for her, and she’d probably get a better view of reality. She told great stories of long days on the beaches of Los Angeles and Palm Springs, I figured she had already decided what she wanted to do and was working with college on the side. I might have thought it a bit strange when, although she was still in California, she was taking online classes for Clackamas Community College.

Somewhere along the line she came back home, and took actual classes at CCC. I thought now was the time she’d begin to grow up. She landed a good job at Zumiez, and told me she was planning to attend U of O for sure next term. She had even put down her first payment and found housing.

Then she wasted over $500 when she believed she could become a model. I never figured my own sister to be the type to fall for one of those modeling scams, but she did. I tried every bit of sarcastic, down to earth strategy I could think of, and yet she still continued to believe this "great modeling career" would land her some great, quick cash. She hasn’t done much with it since, and has mad a great sum of $0.00.

Things were going back to "normal" when suddenly, one day as I went get some orange juice, I spotted several colored sticky notes attached to the fridge. As it turns out, my sister believes it would be "better" to skip out on the U of O thing and, instead, become a "professional wakeboarder." She even spent $400 on a wakeboard. And I thought she was saving for college..

I just.. couldn’t swallow it. So I took all her sticky notes and articles about it down while no one was home, and recycled them.

So I came to accept that my sister was just living in her own little world; a place where, apparently, money magically fell from the sky and a college degree wasn’t needed for a successful life.

It was bad enough having one unrealistic college student hanging around, but then she invited one old friend from Palm Desert to stay with us. Then another friend, and another one from Bend. Then it was the friend’s mom from Arizona. Luckily the Bend fellow stayed only one night, but I don’t know how we’ll manage having the other three around.

Now, for an hour or two, my sister believed she and the Palm girl should venture up in Canada "for a fun roadtrip." Leaving the friend she invited to visit alone, along with his mother. I beat my head against the window in disbelief.

Fortunately, when her insanity seemed at it’s all time peak, my father arrived and I quickly briefed him on the perilous situation of his daughter. He hastily pulled her aside to talk some sense into her, and she now says Canada "might not be a good idea."