When we were growing up, I shared
a bedroom with my little sister, Jill. Every
night, as the bedtime hour approached, I began lobbying my mother for
permission to stay up at least thirty minutes longer than Jill (thirty was an
arbitrary number that seemed to encompass the rest of the evening and might get
me through till morning). The main thrust of my argument emphasized that Jill was
only three, but at six I was much more equipped to handle the night life. However, my genius mother out-negotiated me every time with her devious plan. She suggested
that we should go to bed at the same time, but then, as soon as Jill fell
asleep, I was free to get up and join the wild nightlife that I was so sure my
parents were relishing while watching the nine o’clock news in the living room.
It was too late when I figured
out this plan had holes in it. For me—not my mother. I usually fell asleep before
my sister, or we both dropped off around the same time. When I woke the next morning, I was once again
a victim of my mother’s evil plot. And Jill was left wondering how many times I
was going to fall for it. Yep, my little sister was, and still is, smarter than
me.
We’re all grown-up now. But
that’s the thing about good sisters: mine is still always there for me and
ready to explain what I don’t get.
She’s my tower of strength, my totally biased supporter, my hero. Plus, she’s
the soundest sleeper I know. She hits the mattress like a statue and wakes up
eight hours later fully refreshed. I, on the other hand, grab as much shut-eye
as I can between old episodes of Columbo
and Murder, She Wrote. And it’s not
much.
In our soon-to-be-released Palm Desert Killing, the latest in The
Val and Kit Mystery Series, we introduce Nora, Kit’s sister. Nora has
no problem sleeping, despite the alarming circumstances surrounding her life. But
like me, Kit loves her sister, and there’s nothing she won’t do to help her out.
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| Jill and her husband, Alan, looking well rested. |
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