no siblings in close proximity

I remember saying these words to my sister, Lee, last summer:

"Wag ka na malungkot, me papalit naman sakin e, you just have to wait a few more months and dadating na rin si Ate Leah". (Don't be sad, Ate Leah will be here on Christmas)

This was me trying to comfort her for she was sad that I was about to fly back to Seattle after 3 months of fun-filled vacation.

She retorted:

"Gaga! Hindi ako malungkot kasi aalis ka na, malungkot ako kasi wala na naman akong kapatid na malapit". (I'm not sad because you're going, I'm sad because I have no siblings that are close in proximity)

Her words hit a nerve in me, but in my usual "i don't want to cry in front of a family member" schpill, I fought back the tears by jabbing her the words, "ang drama mo ate!".

In my previous entry, I talked about my other sister, Leah, spending Christmas back in the PI with my brother, John and my sister, Lee. That leaves me here in Seattle, all alone. In fact, this is the first Christmas that I will be celebrating without any siblings in sight. Technically, I'm not alone, I have my mom and my dad with me and also my aunt and my cousins. But it's different without any siblings in sight.

Anyway, I guess I am now feeling what my sister, Lee, was feeling before I left for Seattle last summer.

I texted her today, I told her, "Now I know what you mean by having no siblings in close proximity".

She replied, "HAHA, did you like the scarves?"

She was referring to the scarves that my dad brought from the PI.