I remember this tepid summer day.
- I felt annoyed sitting in my sister’s living room.
The windows weren’t shut, allowing hot, humid air from outside to come in despite the air conditioner being on full blast. It was a weird combination that just wasn’t right. My sister and I have always seen things differently. While she was carefree, I was responsible. She was more daring than I was. As adults, our differences were still obvious, especially in areas like air conditioners. I tried to persuade her that running the air conditioner with the windows open was foolish. It was like trying to cool a room with the door open. My sister turned away and said it helped her. She liked the fresh air, despite the fact that it made the air conditioner work harder. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was truly just how she was. Even if it wasn’t common, she did things her way. She ran her own election with herself as the only candidate back in college. I’ve been a rule follower all my life. My sister, however, appeared to abide by her own set of rules. It was frankly energizing and annoying. After some time, I was no longer able to sit there. I wanted to check that the air quality of the bungalow was still good. So, I got up and diagnosed the air filter. It was quite clogged. I thought about our childhood and all the times my sister did things her way as I cleaned the air filter. I still want to make sure things are clean in this bungalow. My sister has appeared to have been this way forever, so she will always be this way. She is family. We have differences, and I have to be ok with that.