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In all the literature and anecdotes I've ever heard
about leaving home for college,
not once did someone mention
the siblings left behind.
Everyone's heard about getting homesick after you've left,
and about the grand, scary adventure it can all be.
No one mentions the other side of things.
What about the families
that suddenly have a hole?
Sure, we see the parents sometimes;
they're supposed to be glad
that they have more time to themselves,
once they get over the immediate loss.
But that doesn't even work
for most families,
where the children leave one at a time.
It's the same home after the one child leaves,
except there's someone missing.
And when there were only two children to start with,
that can leave someone very much alone.
No one ever mentions that.
No one mentions how a sibling is suddenly
for all intents and purposes
a single child,
and very lonely indeed.
The parents may be wonderful people,
lacking in nothing,
but it's not the same thing.
Who will I watch our TV shows with now,
who will share the inside jokes?
Who can I talk to about the spectrum of good music,
play computer games with,
talk to in the middle of the night?
There's no one in the next room now,
no one to share reassuring phrases
after a midnight earthquake.
No one to fill that hole.
It's like having the best friend
who's always lived next door
move away.
Except it's even more than that;
neighbors don't live in the same house.
Don't share every meal,
every family outing,
every Friday night movie,
and they don't leave such a hole when they go.
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