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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
There were once three sisters<\/p>\n
Me, Leila, and Nora.<\/p>\n
People often assume time heals every wound, but some losses simply learn how to hide beneath the surface. Ours was one of them.<\/p>\n
After Nora died, strangers started referring to Leila and me as twins. It was easier for them that way. Easier than acknowledging there had once been three little girls instead of two.<\/p>\n
But Leila and I never felt like twins.<\/p>\n
We felt like fragments of something that had been broken apart.<\/p>\n
Nora had been older by seven minutes, a fact she treated as if it gave her permanent authority over our lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the oldest,\u201d she would announce proudly. \u201cThat means I make the decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leila would groan every single time.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeven minutes isn\u2019t being older.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt absolutely is,\u201d Nora would reply with a grin.<\/p>\n
Those arguments became the soundtrack of our childhood.<\/p>\n
Laughter echoed through hallways. Pillows flew across bedrooms. Crayons mysteriously appeared on walls despite repeated warnings from our exhausted mother.<\/p>\n
Whenever Leila and I argued over toys, clothes, or seats at the dinner table, Nora stepped in like a tiny diplomat.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had it yesterday,\u201d Leila would complain.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you can have it tomorrow,\u201d Nora would answer calmly. \u201cToday it\u2019s Gia\u2019s turn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always take her side.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Nora would insist. \u201cI take the side of peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then she would make a ridiculous face until we both burst out laughing.<\/p>\n
That was Nora.<\/p>\n
She carried sunshine wherever she went.<\/p>\n
She tied our shoelaces when we were running late. She secretly saved Leila\u2019s favorite candies. During thunderstorms, she always slept between us because she believed it was her job to protect both sides.<\/p>\n
One stormy night, thunder rattled the windows so hard the entire house shook.<\/p>\n
Leila climbed into Nora\u2019s bed first.<\/p>\n
I followed shortly afterward.<\/p>\n
Without opening her eyes, Nora lifted the blanket.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou two are terrible at pretending to be brave,\u201d she mumbled.<\/p>\n
Leila curled against one side.<\/p>\n
I settled against the other.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re scared too,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Nora answered sleepily. \u201cI\u2019m responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was only a child.<\/p>\n
Yet somehow she spent her life taking care of everyone else.<\/p>\n
Then everything changed.<\/p>\n
At first, adults whispered in corners.<\/p>\n
They thought lowering their voices could hide the truth.<\/p>\n
But Nora always understood more than people realized.<\/p>\n
Her first hospital stay felt unreal.<\/p>\n
The sharp smell of disinfectant.<\/p>\n
Bright lights that never seemed to turn off.<\/p>\n
Colorful cartoon stickers trying and failing to make the room feel cheerful.<\/p>\n
Leila kept tugging nervously at her sweater sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with Nora?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
Mom forced a smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s just tired.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nora rolled her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not a baby, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a moment, everyone laughed.<\/p>\n
But even then, something felt different.<\/p>\n
Nora looked smaller inside that hospital bed.<\/p>\n
Her wrists seemed too thin.<\/p>\n
Her smile seemed harder to hold.<\/p>\n
Still, she worried more about us than herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop looking so worried,\u201d she teased. \u201cYou both look weird.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leila burst into tears.<\/p>\n
I stayed frozen beside the bed, gripping the rail so tightly my hands hurt.<\/p>\n
I thought if I held on long enough, nothing would change.<\/p>\n
I was wrong.<\/p>\n
Because no matter how tightly we held on, we could not stop what was coming.<\/p>\n
PART 1: The Sister Who Held Us Together There were once three sisters Me, Leila, and Nora. People often assume time heals every wound, but some losses simply learn how to hide beneath the...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n