1981

#FTBTimeOfMyLife 

(5) 1981

What has happened to my little sister?

In front of me stands a lollipop head, a miniature mirror image of me in every way but one -- she is wearing a big, fluffy wig. 

Just like the one on the head of that famous American pop star named Michael. 

She looks up as I enter the salon. Flashing a wide smile below swollen eyes, she skips over to me and holds out the lollipop she just got from the hairdresser. 

Look! It is a gift for having been a brave girl during the perming process, she tells me.

You can have a lick too, she adds generously.

Some of my friends say they don't like hanging out with their siblings, but I can never understand why. 

Ever since she can walk, the three of us have been inseparable and doing everything together -- with her security blanket as the mandatory third wheel. 

My sister is like a cartoon character coming to life, with a voice so high that can break glass, with a mouth so sweet that can melt hearts, with tear glands so active that can reverse a drought, and with creativity so abundant that makes mom and dad's rules feel like casual advice than ironclad regulations. 

"Do you want to taste it?" She asks me again, wiping off a long streak of snivel dangling down one nostril with her bodyguard blanket.

I hold out my hand for her to grab.

"Let's go scare dad with your new hair." 

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What are the things that come to your mind when you think of the year 1981? Please share them below with us, or on Instagram comments or DM, or just jot them down in your private diary.

FTB Time of My Life is an exercise to celebrate the things that have shaped our lives. Click here for details on how to participate.

Up next - 1982!!

Eileen x