At two weeks old I held her for the first time
at last a baby in our family
my beautiful little niece
with tiny hands
tiny feet
round face
Asian eyes
and a warm supple body.
In my lap I would lay her
mesmerized by her
wondering her thoughts
and why she smiled in her sleep.
I wondered about her future and what she would be like
"I have a lot of cool music to introduce you to"
I said to her
She started to grow so fast with each visit
I flew back to be with my family
I saw her a few months later with a head full of black hair
She wouldn't let me hold her initially
but then she learned to like me
and would cry when I'd leave the room
I'd always have a little gift for her everytime she came to the airport when
I'd visit and always she'd run to me as a toddler
When she started school
sometimes I'd be outside her house waiting for her to get off the bus.
When she'd see me, again, she would run to me with her backpack in tow
I moved back to my hometown and back with my mom
when she was seven.
I watched her grow,
saw her concerts when she sang with her class
and then she began orchestra in junior high.
I watched those shows too.
I watched those shows too.
Sometimes I'd still be stand outside her house
waiting for her when she got off the bus.
She no longer ran to me anymore
because she wasn't a little girl,
but she'd have a big smile when she saw me
and walk towards me with her violin in tow.
I introduced her to music, to words, to books,
TV shows, and movies.
Often I'd pick her from high school and treating her to chili cheese fries
and I'd play everything from The Replacements to Joy Division to Nirvana
and we'd drive around for awhile just listening to music, talking, and burning gas.
At sixteen she didn't need me to pick her up anymore
because her boyfriend gave her rides,
but she and my nephew still spent the night with me and mom
about once a month
and always we'd listen to good music and watch a good movie on DVD
Now that she's seventeen I hardly ever see her
Things are changing with her heavy schedule
and preperations to go to college
I miss her dearly though she only lives a few miles away
but I did take her to her first rock concert recently.
We saw The Ocean Blue at the beach which was fitting
I was so glad that it was me who took her to first actual concert
after all I introduced her to almost everything
except U2 and Greenday because I don't like them that much
And I know I'll have to let her go when
she graduates and matriculates to a good university.
So even though I'm sad that things are changing
I can be happy in knowing I did my job as an aunt,
I showered her with love and invaluable knowledge,
and she turned out really cool.
and she turned out really cool.
After all, not every teenager of her generation loves The Beach Boys
and Fleetwood Mac.
Olivia McGuire
