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Trouble: Her Middle Name by Lynne R. Dorfman

3/2/2016

13 Comments

 
My sister Diane had a knack for finding ways to irritate my other sister.  Sandy was an easy target for Diane’s creative mischief. She was high strung, sensitive, and always felt like she was the poster child for the “Middle Child Syndrome.’   I won’t go as far as to say that Diane delighted in “getting my sister’s goat,’ but she did a good job of it on a weekly, if not a daily, basis.

I remember the time Diane volunteered to get ready for bed first. We all should have known that there would be trouble, but somehow, none of us noticed how unusual this behavior was. Diane waved goodnight and even blew us kisses.  When she got to the top of the stairs, she quietly emptied the hamper of clothes and hid them under her bed. Then she turned out the bedroom light after placing her Patty Playpal, a doll that stood about three feet tall, under the covers and tucked her in. Satisfied that Patty looked like a child sleeping peacefully in her bed, she managed to climb inside the hamper and closed the lid.  

She must have waited in darkness for at least 30 minutes. When she heard Sandy’s footsteps across the wooden floor of the hallway, she popped up like a jack-in-the-box!  Sandy screamed bloody murder and brought my mother sprinting up the stairs like an Olympic runner.  My mother had a hard time keeping Sandy from strangling my youngest sister who was hooting with laughter.  My poor mother tried to reason with her, punish her, take away special privileges. But nothing would deter her. My youngest sister Diane was a trickster through and through!

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13 Comments
Clare link
3/2/2016 04:23:02 am

Oh Lynne - I could hear your laughter through this piece. What a great memory! I feel for your mom - sometimes there is nothing you can do. This is a great memory to have in writing.
Clare

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lynne Dorfman link
3/2/2016 05:02:23 am

Oh, Clare, there are so many "trouble" stories. My sister was a character! Thanks for responding!

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Keith link
3/2/2016 04:38:02 am

I felt the suspense unfold...a simple and beautiful childhood memory. Leaves me wondering if Sandy ever did retaliate?

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Lynne Dorfman link
3/2/2016 05:04:07 am

Sandy never really could figure out how to level the playing field. Diane got the best of her throughout our childhood years! Thanks for reading!

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Adrienne link
3/2/2016 05:50:21 am

Ha! Is this a story that has become family lore? If not, it should be.

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Rose
3/2/2016 06:41:52 am

That's one I had not heard before! I could easily visualize what was happening. Thanks for the morning laugh.

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arjeha link
3/2/2016 06:58:51 am

Thanks for the laugh, Lynne. I think most families have a trickster. In our family it was my younger brother.

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elsie
3/2/2016 07:21:53 am

Oh the tricks we play on our siblings! Great story!
Yes, Lynne, we did meet at Write to Learn, but it was only a year ago. Glad you have joined Rose in writing this year.

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Donna Smith link
3/2/2016 11:21:24 am

Often those kids have kids of their own that pull the same stuff... a payback time... Did that ever happen for her?

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Aileen Hower link
3/2/2016 01:18:40 pm

There's always one in the family, isn't there? For us it was my middle brother and our middle son. But the baby of the family can get away with things the others can't. What a great memory!

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Holly Mueller link
3/2/2016 01:58:04 pm

Oh dear! That would have scared me to death! Ha. I was an only child, and I'm glad! ;-)

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Tara link
3/2/2016 02:05:53 pm

Your sister sounds like great fun!

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Shelly Keller
3/2/2016 04:03:41 pm

Thanks for the laugh, Lynne! Couldn't wait to get to the end to see what your sister did!

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    Lynne loves to write in the early morning hours, especially in warm weather when she can sit outside on the patio.  After a walk with her three Welsh Corgis, her mind is cleared and her spirit is inspired by the choir of birds in nearby bushes and trrees. 

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