Because of her energy drink addiction, Piper couldn't sleep until late into the night. So naturally, she forced me to stay awake with her.
Out in the middle of nowhere, there wasn't much for us to do. We spent the night talking about random, silly things. Nothing important. Nothing stressful.
When she finally got tired, we retreated inside the tent. The only one she brought.
A few years ago, when Maya and I were kids, Pip offered to take care of us during a camping trip my parents wanted to go on.
We were so small back then that her arms easily wrapped around us. She would bring us super close and gently pat our heads, until she was sure we'd fallen asleep.
Come morning, she'd have us in such a tight hug, we couldn't escape her grip. We'd pretend to be asleep until she woke up, only to hear her calling us out for sleeping late.
This memory was precious to me, but it seemed even more dear to her heart than mine.
It was like Pip had forgotten I was a grown man now.
