Learning to be independent

 

“A part of her brain was damaged. She couldn’t recognize who I was.”

“…”

“Hello? Yesung, are you there? Are you okay?”

“beep-“

I unconsciously pressed the end button of my cellular phone.
”Car accident... Car accident, my sister?”

My mind soon started to race through countless thoughts of the most horrible situations, and continued to tumble into an abyss of profound anxiety as my father’s grieving voice still rang in my ears. A wave of panic ran through my body as I stood in the middle of the street frozen in denial. Everything around me was too normal. It seemed to me that the world should have stopped and mourned just like I did.

 

Being in a white hospital full of alcohol smell was not a good feeling. Thinking that my sister had to be in one was worse. ‘It’s on the top floor.’ After asking for her room at the reception desk, I frantically ran up the stairs around the hospital for room 403. I stood in front of the white door, not knowing what to do next. ‘What if she doesn’t recognize me?’ The thought ran through my head, and I was shivering with worried ness. I could not bare the thought of my own sister not knowing who I am. My whole life, I have been dependent of my sister. I know that many siblings don’t tend to get along with each other, but our relationship was somewhat different. Of course we had our fights, but most of the times I remember were good ones. I couldn’t do anything without my sister to the extent where people around me said that I have developed a “sister complex” which in their sense meant that I couldn’t live without my sister.

I slowly tapped on the door that felt like a blockade, preventing me from seeing my sister. It represented the fear I had of losing my life time supporter and advisor. When I went in, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. My sister was lying on her petite sized bed, and her eyes had no focus. As soon as she saw me, her eyes seemed to flash for a fraction of a second. However, the words coming out of her mouth crashed my hopes.

“Are you supposed to be my sister?”

Sadness overwhelmed me. I collapsed next to her bed and began to cry hysterically while my parents quietly observed from the corner. It was later on that day, that I heard the doctor tell us that her memory loss was only temporary. At that moment, I realized just how important my sister was to me, and what I would have done without her. It was then that I decided to be there for my sister, rather than always be helped by her.

 

Being independent is an important trait to develop along the way of a person’s life. Before the horrible car accident that my sister was in, I was still practically a child who had to be nurtured by her who was only two years older than me. After the accident, I developed a sense of independence and matured into a young adult who learned to take care of oneself.