It began with Celie paying careful attention to Fionn--his yawns and gestures, grunts and snorts...all the little movements and sounds that confirm for Celie her role as "the big kid;" and it's now reciprocated by Fionn and his fascination with Celie's willingness to show him the ropes.
Together, they form a most significant half of our tribe, and it pleases me to no end that long after the other half is gone, they'll have each other to love.
I know firsthand, after all, that brothers and sisters develop a kind of shorthand that exists solely as the result of the shared experience growing up in the same family--simple phrases that convey complex meaning and single words that trigger the retelling of entire stories. Just mention "Mrs. Swan" or "Mary Parbs" to Steve or Jenny and they will no doubt be able to sing back to you with grand inflection the way those names are supposed to sound. And "the Peter Gordino Dancers??" Forget about it...it wouldn't be funny even if we tried to tell you, but believe me, those cruiseship entertainers still make us laugh.
But as anyone with brothers or sisters knows, it's more than just the inside jokes and 'you had to be there' moments. I think my sister summed it up best when she said to me once, "You know, without you, I wouldn't remember my childhood." And it's true. While I might remember alot from growing up, each event and phase of my life gains a greater dimension when understood in relationship to others. In the same way researchers triangulate discoveries in order to verify their truth, my sister and brother help me to understand the meaning of my past--and its significance for my future--more fully.
Of course, this is not to say that siblinghood is always easy or that the "verification" process is 100% reliable. For years I believed I weighed almost 12 pounds at birth and was bald until I was 4 because that's what my big brother told me when I was young. In fact, I can remember countless times (usually car rides that involved lots of poking) when I would have just as soon been the only one in the backseat--although I wouldn't have traded their company if actually given the choice.
It's awesome to have friends who feel like family, but in my opinion it's even better to have family that feels like friends. I know I'll never end up in a ditch on my own if only because my brother and sister would never allow it. We're stuck together in the best possible sense and I'm glad Celie and Fionn have each other in this same way.
No doubt there will most certainly be times ahead when their patience with each other will wear thin and 'nice hands' fall will by the wayside; perhaps Celie will complain or Fionn will be furious and the two of them will fight, because that's what siblings do.
But if first impressions are any indication, I think they're on the right track toward a great kind of friendship. As different as they are on the outside--Celie with her delicate, feminine frame and Fionn who is clearly all boy--there's a calm and connectedness between them that seems to come naturally, from within. From the way Celie instinctively looks for Fionn's hand to hold as we all sit beside each other in the morning to Fionn's obvious excitement as he tracks her every dance move with his bright blue eyes, it's as if they already know each other in some secret way. These two simply go together...just like peas and carrots.
