Dear Dr. Jocelyn,
I never thought my sister and I had much of a sibling rivalry. And to this day, I still don't understand people who resent their brothers and sisters. For me, there wasn't much to compete about. Roxanne and I are three years apart. We are both intelligent, educated women, who happen to have a lot in common; without stepping on each others toes.
I was proud to be her sister, who wouldn't. She was the most popular girl in our town, and made high school very easy for me. My freshman year, was her senior year, and I was allowed in to her circle of friends. Although I was shy, I became popular amongst my peers because I was perceived as being well beyond my years. Perhaps that is why I felt some guilt towards her for a time- for the bad thing I did.
Before I get to that, perhaps I should explain why my sister was so popular. Roxanne is nearly 5'10 with long black hair, and the most beautiful features a girl could desire. She has been this way since the day she was born. Our family members affectionately referred to her as "The Natural."
Then at about age 15 it happened. Roxanne started to develop, and it seemingly never stopped. While I was busy playing in her room one day, I noticed my sister had five bras on her bed. When I picked them up I was stunned by their size...34D. It got to the point that my girlfriends and I would have fun at sleepovers, by checking up on the various increases in the of my sisters bras. Boys would call the house constantly, causing my mother to shake her head, and my father to screen her calls.
I looked at pictures of celebrities and actresses, and soon realized that I had someone of equal caliber living under the same roof. As for my sister, she could hardly care less. She treated the boys as if they were no different from her buddies, which made them want her even more. The girls thought she was so down to earth and smart, that they didn't see her as a treat.
I, on the other hand, took a different path. Although we both excelled in academics, I also turned to athletics. Roxanne decided to do some modeling in college, and I became a bit of a tomboy, excelling in gymnastics and tennis.
And the event that challenged my relationship with my sister was likely the result of my constant tennis play. I was on scholarship to a university about an hour from my our hometown. Roxanne was a senior in college in upstate New York. My classes were complete and I was home for the summer. It was then that my mom started to make the comments.
"You must be playing lots of tennis these days, your legs look tan as frech fries." she said when I got out of my car, laundry in hand.
My dad asked me what I had done different with my hair. I told them that is was just a quick highlight, and he hugged me and told me I just looked as if I had a "new look".
I guess I hadn't paid attention to what I considered normal behavior. I picked up my intensity of workouts, and a girlfriend in the dorm had gave me some hair and makeup pointers. My strawberry blond hair looked a bit different with the highlights, but that different? Hmmm..who cares, I was just going to spend my summer sitting around the pool and playing tennis at the club.
The next day Mom and I went to the grocery store. I had just spent the better part of the moring hitting balls, and a trip in town sounded just right.
"Julie, you are going to drive these boys crazy by the end of the summer" my Mother joked as we walked out to the car with our cart.
"What do you mean mom" I asked.
"The boys, the high school boys that work here."
"What about them?" I asked naively.
"Well honey, they only followed us around the entire store, and Betty Stewart's son and that Reynolds kid nearly ran into the sliding doors trying to get a look at you" she said.
I turned back and saw the guys standing outside the store, watching us as we put the groceries in the trunk. They were whispering to each other, and started smiling adn waving when I caught them looking.
"Make sure you wear that tennis outfit to lunch, maybe the waiter will give us a discount" Mom said.
I guess she found this whole thing amusing. My sister was the sexpot of the family, and I was just supposed to be Julie the Jock.
When we finally got home, I ran up to my room. I pulled out my yearbook from my senior year, and looked at all my pictures. I also took off my clothes to shower, and looked at myself in the full length mirror in my room. There was a change it seemed. I guess I had my share of dates in college, but I thought that was what everyone did at school. Oh well.
It was Friday, and my parents were headed upstate to pick up Roxanne from school. She thought a car was too much a burden in the heavy snow, and Mom and Dad were more than happy to get the chance to return to their alma mater to get their daughter. I had practice in the morning, and had just got ready to take a shower when the doorbell ring.
"Hey Julie, welcome back" said the handsome face at the door. It was Bruce, a guy my sister had dated for about a year. He wasn't the brightest in the bunch, but he was sure good looking.
"Hi Brucie, Roxanne isn't here right now, Mom and Dad went to pick her up" I told him. "Maybe in an hour and a half"
"Oh, I was going to surprise her. I know your parents like to pick her up and all, go back to where your grandparent went" he said.
