The alarm clock in your bedroom illuminates the night with 11:57 p.m. Your hand is posed on the doorknob as you steady your breathing. 11:58 p.m. Heart pounding. 11:59 pm. You slowly turn the knob so swinging it open to run will be easier, your body posed to run, jump, or skip maybe. Whatever is the fastest. 12:00 midnight. The door flies, as does hers while you both attempt to say it first. "Happy Birthday!"

"I said it fr-"

"No way i-"

"It was me!"

"No!"

Then mom yells at the both of you to go to bed.

The morning sun leads you to the special birthday cereal mom let you both decide on in Giant Eagle mere days ago. Reese's Puffs will always be a classic for you when you're older. Your sister pours a little too much "melk" into the bowl and you do the same. You've both silently planned to drink the leftover milk at the bottom of the bowl.

Every sentence mom says starts with "This time x amount of years ago I was..."

Mom will make two separate cakes. Which will seem silly when you are older, but as a kid that was magical. You'll try some of your sister's cake anyway though. Always teasing that yours is better.

Singing happy birthday with everyone becomes the both of you looking at each other only to say your sister's name and never your own. Whoever says the others name louder wins.

In the fifteen minutes between your births, you will criticize each other.

To your sister, you'll say, "Wow, is that a grey hair? Crazy! Would you look at those wrinkles too, I should have gotten you a cream for that. Are you sure you don't want to take a nap? It has been a long day already. Can you really keep up with me playing? I will find a retirement home for you, don't worry."

She will, of course, respond in a similar fashion. "You don't understand the world yet, you're much too young. Maybe one day. Oh, when did you grow hair? I remember when you were a baby with no hair at all. You can really just call be your wiser big sister. You're just a baby after all. Maybe you need to take a nap too!"

Presents from each other will usually be the best. You know what she wants and she knows what you want. more importantly, though, she knows what you need.

The gifts between the two of you will be your favorite things. Mom and dad always do well too though. They know you almost as well as you know each other. Go slow while unwrapping though, odds are that your gifts will all be similar. Gifts from grandparents, aunts, and uncles, and even some friends will all be the same. You'll both get a shirt, but in different colors. There's always some best friend necklaces/bracelets/stuffed animal for each of you to have half of a whole. Who could forget the exact same thing for both of you though? It's really not too bad actually. You'll both swap shirt colors later on because your sister will not wear pink.

Mom and Dad never let you forget that this is your sister and the only one you will ever get, the only one besides them in your life who love you and be there for you no matter what. Womb to the tomb, there for you.

You'll share a room tonight, staying up late to play together, swap colors from the day, and get your final happy birthday's in.

Now you're turning 23. Your celebrations have become less about toys and more about spending time together with alcohol mixed in. We won't be together on our actual birthday for the second year in a row. You'll call or send a text at midnight instead of running across the hall. You'll meet the weekend before or the weekend after to give gifts or send them in the mail. There's no one to sing happy birthday to. There's only one cake and only one name. There's only of you when there should be two.