The man next to me was snoring. He smelled like a Big Mac and Lysol. I put my iPOD ear buds in my ear and closed my eyes. It was like yesterday, when I made that promise with her. No matter what happened, we will always be there for each other. Whether I was in New York owning the runway or if she was on her World Tour, we would always be there if we needed to see a familiar face, or just needed someone to talk to.
A little over four years ago, this was just a child's dream. The closest thing to an audience was our family gathered in the living room. That was before everything went sour. Mom is with Don off on some exotic island where it is always warm, and Dad, well, he's alone. It's his fault for cheating on her with that skanky Travel agent who tried to be my friend. I was afraid to admit it but I really did like Yvette, even though she was the cause of the divorce in the first place. Before all of that, Friday was family night. I would show off my "A+" reports, while she would perform one of her new songs. For some reason, my success meant nothing compared to a song in my father's eyes. My mom would be so excited and immediately frame it, along with the other achievements I've made. When she entered that competition, it was like I didn't exist anymore. I faded into the background. When she won, the crowd roared. I, on the other hand, was the only one to boo because I knew that I was now what she used to be.
There was that time where I manipulated her into taking me to an industry party. I made it seem like I only wanted to go for the glamour, but the truth is I missed her and this was the perfect opportunity to bond. When we got there, she had to go "do business" according to Tom. I fought with her, drank, fought with Eden and ended up in the pool. That is really all I could remember. Not only did I make my younger sister feel bad, but I played the sister card the same day. The truth comes out when your drunk, right?
Then, when she found out about my relationship with Tommy. He didn't go after her when all hell broke loose, he came after me. She informed me that he kissed her right before we got together. If I truly knew she felt that way, then I would have never crossed that line. Little Tommy Q was always the factor for the drama between us. Not only did I have something she loved, I had to save her from the divorce and Mom's marriage.
We got older and I moved on from Tommy to Kwest. He made me feel 99 better after Tom broke my heart. She was finally legal that year. After all we've been through, she bought me a dress for her party. Then she caught me and Tom kissing. Eventually, Kwest found out and we made up. Tom apologized and finally got the girl he always wanted. It's funny how one guy can destroy a sister's bond.
The plane landed and I saw her when I got to the gate. I dropped my luggage and we ran into each other' familiar embrace. It was like not being able to have chocolate for years and when you get it, you never want to leave it again. She smelled the same and looked the same but her hair was longer. "I missed you, Sades."
"I missed you too, sis. Let's go get that hot tea I promised you," I grabbed my luggage and walked with her, hand in hand. The little girls inside of both of us resurface. At that moment, I wasn't 22 year-old Sadie, and she wasn't 19 year-old Jude. We were 9 and 6 years old again, only dreaming of the future. I was living up to the promise we made. She made a choice, there was no contest for her, Jude is a Rock Star. When it comes to this moment, being a Rock Star was temporarily on the back burner. We are sisters.
