When I was a child I was shocked at the idea that my sisters could be my best friends. Now, I wouldn't have it any other way.
By Christine Many
I'm five years old, and my mother is on her hands and knees, washing the kitchen floor. I'm telling her about a new girl in school, and she suddenly looks up at me and says, "Who are your two best friends?"
I'm not sure what to say. I've been friends with Jill since I was three or so, and I really like Jaime, a friend in kindergarten.
"Jill and Jaime."
My mother stops scrubbing the floor and starts to take off her yellow rubber gloves. "Well, what about Karen and Cindy?"
My sisters? "I don't know who their best friends are," I say.
"No," she says. "I'm saying, why aren't they your best friends?"
She seems upset, like I hurt her feelings. "But they're my sisters."
"Yes, but they can still be your best friends. Friends may come and go, but your sisters will always be there for you."
At the time, the idea of my two sisters being my closest friends seemed strange to me. We fought all the time over toys, food, attention, what to watch on television - you name it, we bickered about it at some point. How could my sisters be my best friends? They weren't the same age as I. We all had our own friends in school.
But my mother never let the three of us forget it: Sisters are lifelong friends. Her wish--like most parents'--was to give us something that she never had. Growing up an only child, she longed for siblings. When she gave birth to three daughters --separated by only four years--the fufillment of her dream had only just begun. She had given us each a gift--our sisters--and she wanted to make sure we did not take that gift for granted. She would frequently tell us how lucky we were. But there were other, more subtle ways that she encouraged us to grow closer. She never showed favoritism to one daughter over the other, as not to cause jealousy or bitterness between sisters. She constantly took us places together--skating, shopping, swimming--so we developed common interests. And when we were teenagers, Mom always punished us equally, giving us yet another bonding experience.
We didn't always get along beautifully and fought just like any other siblings. But somewhere in between Mom's lectures, the family vacations and the shared memories, we realized that our mother was right. Today I share things with my sisters that I do with no one else. My sister Cindy and I ran the New York City Marathon together, side-by-side, even holding hands when we crossed the finish line. When my sister Karen got married, I was her maid of honor. Cindy and I traveled through Europe together and even shared an apartment for two years. The three of us trust each other with our greatest secrets.
It was twenty-three years ago that my mother first asked me who my two best friends were. Today she doesn't have to. She already knows.
译文:
最伟大的礼物
当我是个孩子的时候，我的姐姐们会成为我最好的朋友这种想法会令我震惊。我是无法通过其他方式拥有这种友情的。
当时我5岁，母亲手脚趴着，擦洗厨房的地板。我告诉她学校里的一个新来的女生，突然，她看着我，然后说：“你最好的两个朋友是谁？”
我不知道该怎么回答。我三岁左右就和吉尔是朋友了，我也很喜欢海梅，她是我一个幼儿园的朋友。
“吉尔和海梅。”
母亲停止擦地板，开始脱下她的黄色橡胶手套，“那么，凯伦和辛迪呢？”
我的姐姐？“我不知道她们最好的朋友是谁？”我说。
“不，”她说，“我说的是，为什么她们不是你最好的朋友呢？”
她看起来有点生气，好像我伤了她，“但她们是我的姐姐。”
“是的，但是她们仍然可以成为你最好的朋友。朋友来了，走了，但你的姐姐们会永远关心你，帮助你。”
那时，我姐姐们成为我最好的朋友这种想法看起来怪怪的。我们一直争着，为了玩具，食物，别人的注意，看什么电视等等。有时还斗嘴。我的姐姐们怎么可能成为我最好的朋友呢？她们的年龄和我不同。我们在学校里都有自己的朋友。
但母亲一直让我们记着：姐妹们是一生的朋友。她的愿望--就像大部分家长的愿望--就是给我们她从未拥有过的东西。她从小就是个独生女，渴望有姐妹。当她相隔四年内生下3个女儿时，她的愿望开始实现。她给了我们每个人一件礼物--我们的姐妹--她想确保我们并没把姐妹当作想当然。她经常说我们有多幸运。不仅如此，她还用其他更细微的方式鼓励我们关系更密切。她从没偏爱任何一个女儿，这样就不会在姐妹间引起嫉妒或仇恨。她一直同时带我们3个出去--溜冰，购物，游泳--因此我们有了共同的爱好。我们十多岁时，母亲总是同时惩罚我们三个，这种经历使我们更加亲密。
我们并没有相处融洽，还是像其他姐妹般争吵。但想想母亲的教诲，家庭度假，以及那些共有的回忆，我们知道母亲是对的。今天，我和姐姐们的回忆是其他人所不能给的。我和姐姐辛迪一起参加了纽约市马拉松赛跑，我们肩并肩，甚至在跑过终点线时还握着手。当姐姐凯伦结婚时，我是她的伴娘。我和姐姐辛迪一起去过欧洲旅游，甚至还一起住在一间公寓两年。我们三人相互信任，分享着最大的秘密。
23年前，母亲第一次问我，我最好的朋友是谁。今天，她没必要问了，因为她已经知道答案了。