Have you ever had anything in your life that you’ve got for a second then loose the next one? I have. I’ve had close friends (such as Tyas, Shane, and Briar), and close relatives (Like my cousins, Anthony, Aaron, Jeremy, Zoltan, Sean, and Emma) that have been the “something” in my life that I have had but lost in time. It’s not anyone’s fault when you loose your best friends, worst enemies, or even close relatives, things like this are what I like to call, “Life.”

All I’d wished was that I could have cousins my age that I knew really well, and could get along with. Ian and Jamison are okay, but it’s just not the same knowing that you have first cousins out there that you don’t even know. I often found myself wondering about what life would be like if I’d grown up with Aaron and Anthony.
I was 3 years old and ready to have a birthday in 9 days, it was also Anthony’s birthday that day, and since it was his 4th birthday we all had to give him a lot of attention, he required it. As I walked outside to see my parents off, I squinted my eyes suddenly, pulling my hand up to my forehead to stop the ray of sunlight that could have blind me even more than I already was. The smell of the recently trimmed grass made the day seem even more like summer. This was the prefect day for a trip to the park.

My parents and my Aunt and Uncle went out for lunch and left us 4, rowdy children with a babysitter. Anthony threw a temper tantrum and got sent to the spare room to think about what he had done. He hated it, He screamed and yelled until Trina gave him my sister’s Melanie’s Mall to “play with,” let me just say this, when Anthony walked out of the room, he had a grin on his face while Jessica’s brand new toy lay on the ground, you guessed it , broken.

“I hate you, Anthony,” My sister was crying so hard. Trina sent a glare that almost looked evil, in Jessica’s direction. “You shouldn’t say that about your cousin, even though he might have made you mad. I want you both to apologize.” “Forget it, He broke my Melanie’s Mall,” Jessica reminded Trina while pointing at Anthony who was now walking around the room yelling “nothethoth,” (his made up word) and knocking everything in sight to the ground. Anthony was behaving horribly. Even the phone wasn’t left unharmed. Anthony dialed a number on the phone receiver and let it ring, you could here someone say hello into the other end, “Nothethoth,” and then a hang-up. I helped Trina pick up all the books Anthony had left on the ground. I felt so bad for her, she must have felt miserable. Trina tried so hard to make my parents happy with her work and this was one day she knew, that would not happen. No park for me now.

The last time I saw Aaron and Anthony was in the summer of 2007. Aaron was a snob who is now joining the army and Anthony was the polite, well-behaved one that I still miss a lot.

“Hey Melissa, How’s life?

“I’m Pretty good, how about you?”

“I’m doing Okay. So my mom told me you’re going to be a freshman this year.”

“Yep, I guess I will be.”

“That’s cool. But just remember, high school is what you make it to be. You might not have the classes/lunches you want but just try to reach outside your comfort zone, it did me a lot of good, and I’m absolutely positive it will do the same for you.”

“Did you memorize what you were going to tell me before you called? Because it sure does seem like you did.”

“No, of course I’m not. I’m just talking to you about high school.”

“Are you trying to give me advice?”
“Yes I am.”

“Well than thanks… I guess… But why are you talking about school right now? It’s summer.”

“I want to talk about school because fall is closer than you think. And also, this might be the last time I’ll talk to you this year. Mom’s pretty upset about the phone bill as it is.”

The last time I talked to Anthony, it was like I was talking to an older brother, Anthony going on and giving me tips about freshmen year in high school and me carrying on about how I didn’t really want to talk about that in the summer time. It’s true; he is like a brother to me, even if he lives in Iowa, which sometimes feels like a million miles away. All I can say is this, Just because I don’t know him all that well doesn’t mean he’s not family.

As I look back on this day, I remember why I miss my cousins, because under all that treacherous behavior, they can be kind and considerate young men. Times that show this are times that I’m grateful I have cousins like Anthony. He grew up so much, and even though I wish things could be different, I wouldn’t change any of the memories I’ve had and will probably have later in life, with my cousin Anthony.