Sisters

I’m writing this blog as an homage to my sisters. Some days I wake up and forget that both my sisters are gone. Ann passed away on March 22 just a bit over three months ago and July 8th was the one year anniversary of my sister Rose’s passing. They were an integral part of my life and I miss them very much. I don’t think I missed my mother when she passed as much as I miss them. As I write this blog, tears are welling up.

Growing Up With Three Moms

Ann and Rose practically raised me. I had three mothers when I was growing up, my birth mother and my sisters. They did everything with me and for me, my mother had built-in babysitters. I know it may be repetitive because I have written about them before, but I feel I should be writing about Ann since I wrote about Rose after she passed.

Ann was the oldest and got married in 1953 when she was just 21 years old. I remember their little basement apartment on Paulding Avenue in the Bronx. She had her first child two years later and I babysat; Gina was the first grandchild. I was just a kid myself. Ralph, my brother-in-law, was a nervous wreck because I was so young, but my sister assured him that I knew how to take care of a baby having so many cousins around. It was a trial run; only for two hours. Of course Ralph got a little more comfortable with my babysitting as Gina grew older.

Grandma Babysitting

I remember when Ann went to the hospital to give birth to her third baby, Donna, I babysat Gina and Toni Ann who were 4 and 2 years old at the time. I was a teenager and we were still living in East Harlem. It was in July during the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and I took them to the feast at night. They had never seen a street festival before and they had a ball running around. I remember my mother’s friend Mary Bruno asking my mother, “Don’t you take care of the grandchildren?” To which my mother responded “I don’t babysit.”

I really don’t know why my mother ever had children. She had no maternal instincts. Maybe she did when she was first married, but by the time she had me that was a thing of the past. Whenever my sister Ann would drop the kid(s) off at my mom’s, it was me who babysat. Every time Ann had another kid, I would watch the kids for a week. Back then you had to stay in the hospital for seven days. Nowadays, they kick you out after one day.

Babysitting Was My Payback

Babysitting was my job. I loved my nieces and nephews and had fun babysitting and spending time with them. My sister Ann had four daughters and I babysat them all. I also babysat every time Rose went to the hospital. Rose had five boys and one daughter. There’s a set of twin boys in that group. I remember babysitting for all six kids at their house in Peekskill when Rose and Rocky went on vacation. Rose asked a neighbor to check in on me and she was amazed that I had the situation well in hand every time she did and she made sure to tell this to Rose. I would roughhouse with Donnie and Rocky, Rose’s two oldest boys. They were disappointed when I got married and was pregnant since I couldn’t roughhouse anymore. In the end we all paid each other back, my sisters watched me, I watched their children and when I had kids they watched mine.

Memories and Flashbacks

I can’t look at a scone anymore without thinking of Ann. We would visit Rose in the Hamptons in the Spring and the Fall every year. Rose would buy scones at Mary Marvelous’ store. Ann loved them, so I started to make them for her.

I’ll try for as long as I’m able to keep this family together for the sake of my sisters. This past Easter and Fourth of July was hard, Ann was always here. I just wish Rose’s kids would visit more often. Robert and his family and Maria came to my grandson’s communion celebration this past May. It was great having them there.

Hopefully, we will all get together more often for family functions in the future. Life is short.