I lay in my bed, mind wondering. I don’t know when I woke up and I don’t think too much of it, I just let my thoughts and worries go. But there’s one that niggles at me. Finally, I look at my alarm clock. It’s 5:47 in the morning. The sun will be up soon, I think to myself. Deciding that I won’t be getting anymore sleep, I roll out of bed, toss on my housecoat for added warmth, and head down for some early morning tea.

The walk down from my room to the kitchen is a surreal one. Boxes were sprinkled here and there along the walls. I was born her, grew up here, and I’ve lived here for all eighteen years of my life. It’ll be hard for me to let go of this place.

In the kitchen I lean against the counter and look out the window while I wait for the water to boil. This window looks out into our backyard; a grassy field covered in dew and a large lake surrounded by trees on three sides. There’s a bit of light peaking over those trees. Looking closer at the glistening water, I can see a silhouette of a person sitting out on the dock we made when I was five. The corners of my mouth turn up into a small smile and I prepare some more water to boil.

With a mug in each hand, I walk through the soft grass down to the dock. It’s made out of pieces of wood and logs and even though it looks weathered, it doesn’t look that old. At the dock now, I can clearly see my twelve year old sister gaze longingly at the sky. Maybe she’s watching the sun rise? The base of the sky has started to lighten, soon it will be an array of pinks and oranges. My sister was sitting at the front of the dock and hugging her knees to her chest.

“Hey, Tess.” I say softly, handing her a mug of tea. She looks up at me then down to the mug in my outstretched hand. After the mug’s acceptance, I sit down with my legs hanging off the edge of the dock. “What’s up? And don’t say ‘the sky’.”

“Nothing.” She says in a flat voice.

“Come on, I can see it in your face. Something’s worrying you.” I say that as a fact.

“You’ll laugh at me.”

“When have I ever laughed at you?” She gives me an incredulous look and I make a show of putting my hand to my heart and straightening up. “I, Valerie Joyce Rocha, promise that I won’t laugh.” I earn a giggle with that.

“Fine.” Tess took a deep breath. “I’m just… scared.”

Scared? I push for her to say more. “Scared of what?”

“It’s just that… you’re moving out tomorrow and…” she hides her face with her knees,” I’m scared you’ll forget about me…”

“Why would I forget about you?”

“I don’t know… you’re going to get a real job, new friends, and a boyfriend. You won’t have time to talk to me so you’re going to forget me.”

Oh… I’ve been so busy packing everything I’ll need that I haven’t spent much time with Tess. She probably already thinks that I’m forgetting about it her. I touch Tess’ cheek, my hand warm from my mug, and she lifts her head. A singular tear is making its way down her face and I wipe it away with my thumb. “I would never forget about you Tess. And even if I get new friends and a boyfriend, I’ll still make time for you. We can still call and text each other and I’ll be coming back here during my breaks so we can still see each other.”

She turns her head to look at the sky again. It’s a beautiful sight to behold. Even though the sun isn’t visible yet, the horizon is a vibrant orange that fades into pink then purple the higher up you look. “You sure?”

“Yes. I’m sure.”

We watched the sky in silence for a couple minutes before I start to stand up. I grab Tess’ mug and place it next to mine on the dock. “What do you say about a little swim?” I say with my hands on my hips. Before Tess has the time to register what I said, I shove her into the water— she rolled like a ball since she was still holding her knees to her chest— and I dive in after her. We make it to the surface of the water at the same time.

“Are you crazy!?” She yells between small gasps. I just giggle a splash water into her face. She aggressively splashes me back and I return it. Soon enough we’re laughing and playing in the water under the sunrise.