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Show like a good one to me, in actuality I was less sure. When my brother Scott had been born, I had only been three. I don't remember a moment in my life when he was not a part of it. But this baby was different. Whose hand would he hold? Where would he sit in the car? Squares had four sides, cards, four suits, the Sunshine family, four members. Five seemed awkward and uneven. Spending the night away started to feel less like a party and more like a punishment. When I came home, the new baby would be sharing my room. Always looking for an adventure, Diane asked me if I wanted to sleep in her parents' bed. Sure, I said. Do you wet the bed, she asked. No, I replied, hurt that she would even think to ask me. What kind of girl did she think I was. Great, she answered and bounded down to the kitchen to ask her mother for permission. That night we slept in their giant bed along with Carrot and Muffin, our matching stuffed animals. The wooden headboard made the bed feel more like a ship than a place to sleep, and my feet tangled in the many layers of sheets and blankets. For the first time, I was struck by the oddity with which other people did things. Why two blankets? Why the puffy comforter, silken shams, and the smell of spice deep in the pillows? Is this how they always slept? For the first part of the night, we watched television on their black and white set and made nests in the spiced pillows for Carrot and Muffin. Soon, though, we were asleep. 54 |