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“I have a present for you,” she says when I set her down.
“You do?”
She nods excitedly.
“Well, where is said present?”
“It’s not sad.” She sticks out her lower lip.
“Not sad, s-a-i-d.” I laugh.
“Jo, that doesn’t make sense.” She scrunches her little face.
We could do this all day.
“So, what’d you get me, little sis?”
“You have to sit down.” She grabs my hands and tries to push me back onto the bed, even though her strength doesn’t match mine.
“Okay, I’m ready.” I sit on the bed and watch her leave the room. A few seconds later, she hops back into the room with her arms around her back.
“You have to close your eyes,” she says.
I do as she says, but open one of them a few seconds later.
“Jo! Close your eyes.” She stomps.
This is too much fun. I love getting her riled up.
“Ok, they’re closed.”
Two seconds later…
“Jo! Stop it, or you won’t get your present,” my little sister scolds.
“All right, all right. I promise for real this time.” I chuckle.
Four seconds later…
I keep my promise.
I hear a fluttering sound and Sadie mumbling under her breath. Not soon after, the package is placed in my hand.
“Can I open it now?” I ask her.
“Yep!” Sadie giggles in anticipation while I unwrap the gift.
All the blood drains from my face when I see what is under the cartoon newspaper. Removing the remaining paper and tossing it on the floor, I pull out the picture frame made from popsicle sticks and covered with red apple stickers.
The photo was taken when we were at the apple orchard. It is one of our best memories—a memory we hold on to as a reminder that things were once good and we were happy, even if it was for a little while. This is a moment I never want to forget. In the photo, Shorty and I stand underneath the apple tree, our little arms filled with apples. But that’s not what got me all choked up. It is the smile on our faces.
“Jo, why are you crying?”
I blink and feel wetness slide down my face. When I look up at her, my gaze lingers on the bruise on her cheek, a cut on her lip, and bruises on both forearms from when Dad grabbed her last night. Despite all that, she woke up this morning with a smile brighter than the sun.
She is so tiny.
So innocent.
