I reached for the remote as our weekly Friday night movie ended. I forgot the name of it by now. My four-year-old sister, Sarah, picked it out so, considering her obsession with Disney World, it was likely a Disney movie. Not exactly a 16-year-old boy’s first choice. I looked over at the couch to see my step-mother’s head was resting peacefully on my father’s shoulder. Sarah looked up at me as I quietly instructed her to get ready for bed. She nodded her little head, pushing herself off the couch and happily skipped up the stairs. Smiling at her never-ending happiness, I tossed a blanket over my parents and jogged up to my room to change.

I got my T-shirt on, and glanced over at my nightstand. On it was a lamp, wallet, and an old family portrait. Picking up the portrait, I focused specifically at the dark-haired woman who held a young boy standing next to a tall, muscular man. I think I look like a male version of her (granted I have blue eyes instead of brown but the rest looks like her). I sat down on the bed and continued to stare at the old picture. There was a faint sound of someone skipping down the hallway, but I paid no attention to it. Moments later, she was opening my bedroom door.

Her small voice broke my trance, “Damien?”
I looked over at my bedroom door to find her standing there in her purple Hello Kitty pajamas with the matching slippers I bought her last Christmas. “Oh, hey Sarah, come in,” I said, putting the picture back.

She ran over and hopped up on my lap just like she does every night. She looked over at the nightstand to see what I was so focused on moments ago. With a curious face and tone, she found the framed image, “There’s daddy,” she said pointing, “but who’s the little boy and the lady?”

I thought for a minute, “…Sarah let me tell you a story.”
Nodding, she turned in my lap so she would be facing me.
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There was this man and this woman who met at the state fair. The woman was with a big group of friends and they all liked the thrill rides even though she didn’t. She was hoping she could just be the tag along. Her friends begged her to get on at least one roller coaster with them. After what seemed like hours of convincing she caved in. The roller coaster they went on was one that dropped, looped, spun, and anything else you could think of. Finally, when it stopped she wobbled off, ignored the horrible feeling in her stomach, and instead laughed with her friends and moved on. After a minute, her stomach was getting the best of her so she dropped back unnoticed. She frantically moved around trying to find a trashcan or anything else she could use. A man sitting at a table nearby noticed her scrambling around. Concerned about the beautiful woman’s worry, he stood up and jogged over to her.
“Everything okay ma’am?”
She didn’t speak. Instead, she held her hands over her mouth.
“Oh!” He quickly led her to a trashcan and rubbed her back as she retched. When she finished, she straightened up and turned around to have a better look at this helpful man. He was a tall man, about a head taller than her. His brown hair was tousled around in a cute way. The eyes were a hypnotizing sapphire blue. His arms, gentle and muscular, hovered by her sides securing her.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” she said, wiping her mouth with an offered napkin.
“Oh it’s fine. I don’t have the strongest stomach when it comes to amusement rides either,” he replied with a slight smile. “I think your friends have walked halfway across the fair by now. Can I help you find them?”
She smiled at the kindness this handsome stranger gave her, “Sure.”
After a while, their search turned into a stroll through the fair. They walked, talked, and laughed until the fair closed. The woman’s apartment was fairly close so he walked her there.
“I’m sorry we never found your friends.”
“Boy, we’re apologizing a lot aren’t we?” They laughed as they walked up the steps to her door. “Well, thank you for helping me and keeping me company.”
“Oh, it’s no problem miss. Glad I could help.”
Nervous, she acted quickly and gave him a quick peck on the cheek and wished him good night before rushing inside. After a deep breath and a big smile, she proudly walked across the living room and into the restroom to shower. She had just taken off her jacket when there was a knock at the door. Puzzled, she walked out, setting her jacket down, and opened the door to see the man still standing there.
“I uh… I just realized that my house is a few miles away, and that my car is still at the fair.”
She giggled,” Well, I guess you could stay the night, but I don’t have another bed.”
“As long as you have a blanket, I’m fine on the floor or a couch.”
Smiling, she let him in. She didn’t know that the man she just met would end up being her future husband; the man who would give her a son, and the man she would love until death parted them. Their son had just turned eight when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. By the time it was diagnosed, it was already very serious and malignant. She died before she could see her son turn nine. The broken family was distraught.
For years, the man was all alone with no one but his son. It was a while before he decided to marry again. Even though he still thought of the beautiful woman he met at the fair, he loved his new wife. As for the son, he missed his real mother terribly. He wept for weeks following her death. It was a lot for a young boy to handle. It took him a while to adjust to having a step-mother. She tried everything to get her step-son to move on and at least accept her: brought him to the park often, went out for ice cream, and even drove him and his friends around town. Eventually, he warmed up to her, and their broken family was almost as it used to be. The final piece of their broken family was glued in when his new baby sister was born.
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Sarah looked up from her folded hands in her lap, “Does the son love his baby sister?”

“More than anything,” I said as I held her.

Still in my lap, she wrapped her arms around my torso,” The baby sister loves him too.”