I was browsing through some profiles at MySpace and happened to find someone I first met the day her mother brought her home from the hospital.  My mom and her grandmother were very good friends so her grandmother was watching me that day for my mom. I was 8 years old at the time.  I haven’t seen this “baby” in ages because I grew up and moved away etc.etc.  There are a gazillion excuses for why I haven’t kept in touch with their family but that wouldn’t turn back the clock, would it?

Anyway, I happened to stumble upon her profile and it doesn’t seem like such a long time ago but then I saw her age and it floored me.  She’s now 37 years old.  That means ….. I’m an old fut already.

There was a point I was trying to make and that is:  Why is it that when we’re in our teens, we wouldn’t dream of hanging out, talking, acknowledging someone who is 8 years younger.  Like in this instance, I was probably 16 when she was 8.  It didn’t even occur to me that someday 8 years wouldn’t be that big a gap in ages.  My closest cousin in 9 years younger than me but at times she the more mature one and more often than not, she’s the one I can count on for just about anything that I can’t get hubby to do.  Back in the day though, I considered her a spoiled brat and would have nothing to do with her.  That all changed when she was senior in high school and I wanted her to cut out so she could chaperone my hanai sister on her field trip.

OOooh, that’s one funny story.  I sorta kinda lied to get her to agree to go. I am laughing already just thinking about it.  Anyway, after volunteering to go with my hanai sister, I changed my mind so I asked if my cousin Joey would go in my place.  She said she’d think about it so …. I had to think quickly.  I told her that she would enjoy it because my sister had a young male hapa-haole teacher.  It didn’t take her too long to decide to sit in for me.  When the day of the field trip arrived, I dropped her off with my boys and my sister.  I waited in the parking lot for a few minutes so I could see the look on her face when she realized I had lied.  It was true that my sister had a male teacher, but he was about 65 years old.  It didn’t take long before my cousin looked over the upstairs balony and flashed me the bird.  I was just cracking up in the car.  I knew I was gonna be in deep kaka when I picked them up after school.

And sure enough, she wanted to kick my ass but we were too weak from cracking up.  She hasn’t learned from that little episode.  A few years later I talked her into being a brownie scout leader with me and she doesn’t even have kids — til this day.  She claims I am her birth control.

Ok, so back to my point.  The 9 years age difference isn’t so much once you become adults.  Strange how that just happens, right?