Briefcase on the Kitchen Table

Someone pointed out to me the other day something a bit scary; how young my baby sister was when Avery and I started dating. So I did the math myself. When Avery and I started seeing each other I was fifteen years old. Emma is six and a half years younger than me. That means she was eight years old. Eight.

I realized that meant Avery had seen nearly every stage of Emma’s life from cute kid to awkward adolescent to budding young woman. He witnessed her elementary school dance recitals, middle school band concerts, and high school musicals. He has volunteered as a judge for Emma’s speech team. He has taken her sledding. They got Zesto’s Ice Cream together. When Emma visited DePauw for Little Sibs weekend as a middle-schooler, Ave met us for dinner and then showed Emma the science building. When we are in Fort Wayne, Ave and Emma sit on the couch and talk.

There are all kinds of relationships in the world including all kinds of in-law relationships. But when I think back to when I was eight years old and the people who were in my life then who still know me now, those people are very comfortable family. Then I realized all of the sudden why Emma feels so comfortable around Avery; it is probably hard for Emma to remember a time when Ave wasn’t around. And as odd as that seems, I kind of love it.