“Catch me if you can!” little Mia turned back with a huge grin. Her face said it all. This fresh first summer day was an open door to a carefree journey before third grade. Meej, she liked to be called, leaped over the drenched rocks submerged under the pond water. “C’mon Sam! I want to have some funnn!” Her hips swayed back and forth with her nimble hands placed on them as she said this, and that tiny, mischievous, crooked, and warm-hearted grin remained on her face. The huge gap where her two front teeth were supposed to be was like a trap for summer insects.

Samuel, her brother, rolled his eyes at the disturbance of his little sister’s high-pitched voice that squealed especially loud when she was happy. Meej ran back across the wooden dock and came to meet him sitting on the lake house stairs. He was too busy digging his nose in the Scandinavian Post. She tugged him and tugged him until he finally let loose of the newspaper and yanked her by her long blonde hair that was always held tightly up in a braid.

Her brother always did her braid before Mia went to bed, school, swimming, tubing, her friends house, ete. Whatever it was, Meej always had a braid in her hair to keep it out of her face. Eventually, Meej had to learn how to do her own braids, as her brother would be leaving for college soon. No need for makeup as she was young, confident, always dirty.

As Meej pulled her exhausted brother across their yard, the wind brushed against her skin and almost swept all the freckles off her face. Her sandy feet smushed themselves into the grass one by one and by the time she got to the boat launch, her brother was fully awake from all the bumpy and quick movement as Meej dragged him.

This is going to be the best summer ever!!! No school, no homework, no fighting over my American girl dolls with my friends (aka my bffls) and last but certainly not least, no stress!!! Meej thought as she stopped to catch her breath. This thought of her utopia was interupted when Samuel sat her down and out of nowhere asked her, “Mia, do you ever get sad —or even think about or miss— you know, momma and daddy?”

Mia looked up into Samuel’s bold blue eyes and said, “I miss them just like you do but life is still supes cool without them.”

Samuel nodded his head in disappointment. Mia was too young to understand things and that frustrated him. Just before Samuel got up and left, Meej turned towards her brother and said, “Sam?”

He looked back and the words “Yes Mia?” slipped off his tongue.

“I feel like there’s nothing to regret in life. You seem to regret a lot, but I don’t.” Her voice softened. “Momma and daddy left for a reason. We can’t be living our wonderful lives in regret, because we only live once. Hashtag YOLO, am I right?”

Sam remained silent. He leaned over and enveloped his sister’s body into his newly tanned arms. To her, she felt safe, felt attached like a magnet. But this didn’t last long. After a few seconds, she felt claustrophobic and forcefully pushed her brother away. Meej turned to look at her brothers solemn facial expression. She always felt bad for her brother — how he always spent his time worrying about things whether it was the latest news in Stockholm, or preparing for college on nights he could have been hanging with friends. But it was summer, and to her, nothing in the world could stop her from having joy.

I am on my way to adulthood next year. The what seems to be a scary, haunting year coming up won’t be so terrifying. I’m going to become a woman despite the loss of my parents and hardships of my brother. But for now, it’s summer and although this place is my temporary home, it will always hold my heart.