I remember the time my sister, Shifali Malhotra, and I built a fort in our closet over the summer. We were young and making fun memories. Summer spent together was always a blast. We would share multiple laughs and were, at the time, basically the same person.
The days flew by and our time together grew shorter. Shifali’s moments of attending high school were coming to an end. Her days of going off to college were fast approaching. My sister would be leaving me to study two hours away at the University of Iowa. Although she would not be too far it definitely felt as if she would be thousands of miles away.
I hear the ding of the doorbell as my parents rush towards the door. They open the door to greet our family members. We welcome them in and get them situated. It was mid-summer and everyone that had entered was from my mother's side of the family. They were here to congratulate Shifali at her graduation party. The party was coming up in a short amount of days. All of Shifali’s friends and family would be attending.
My cousin and I prepared a speech to present on the day of the graduation party. We wrote a rough draft, fixed and analyzed it, and read it in front of my mom to get final approval. She was moved by the speech and loved it. My cousin and I began to get excited about the day.
The party appeared in a hurry. Everything was a blur as the events were fast-moving and going by rapidly. My family and I arrived first to set up for the party. All the girls were dressed in gowns and guys in suits, almost like prom, but in reality, it was just a fancy graduation party. We stood in the rented-out hotel room for what seemed like forever. Until we noticed a crowd of familiar faces that began to fill the room. The room contained people who supported my sister throughout her whole life. By 7 o’clock the party began to kick off. Music was playing and food was being provided. The guests were all chatting and laughing as they seemed to be having a magnificent time.
Suddenly, the room became quiet, and the moment came when the speeches were to be presented to the crowd. A few friends go before, but it soon came time for me and my cousin to make our way up to the podium. We were slightly nervous and had our note cards in hand. The room was silent and I started to clear my throat.
“I can’t believe you are finally going off to college… it seems like just yesterday we were learning how to ride bikes…” I said. I continued on with the speech until my cousin chimed in. After we finished, we received applause from the audience. I then had a sudden realization as I walked off the stage. I am going to miss my sister. Although growing up with a sibling is not always fun, you know they are people you can always count on. I also noticed that time was passing by in the blink of an eye. I wanted to make sure I spent a proper amount of time with my family before I head off to college. Family is important and they will always hold a dear place in my heart.
Though time has passed and my sister and I don’t make forts in the closet, we'll always have the memories to look back on. All the summers we hung out together are recollections I will cherish. The future is still occurring and I know my family and I will share plenty of more laughs and good times.