Living in my sister’s shadow

It’s tough out here being the younger sister of a celebrity

*Sigh* It’s literally so embarrassing for me to admit this, but yes, I am the younger sister of local celebrity, Helen
Ho. I know! I know, hold your applause. It’s great and all, being one degree away from fame, but can I just say how exhausting it is? Everyone wants to get to know me and what it’s like being her sister. They all know who I am before I even know their name. If I had a nickel for every time someone I didn’t know asked if I was her sister, I could probably pay for a milk alternative. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s enough. Being her sister has some perks though. My name being known by complete strangers, exclusive access to whatever she’s working on, her big-girl money pays for dinner, and the nepotism! How could I forget? I nagged a coveted writer’s position for the SMC Funnies way back in first year and now, I’m one of the head writers. Everyone say, “Thank you, nepotism!”

But sometimes, I want to step out of her limelight and into my own. Everything I do, it’s always, “Hey, didn’t your sister do this too?” Yes. Yes, she did. I have my own agency, you know. She went to the University of Toronto. I currently go to UofT. She wrote for the Funnies. I write for the Funnies. She wrote for the Strand. I currently write for the Strand. Goddamnit, I’m still in her shadow.

It’s tough out here. Don’t get me wrong, I love basking in her success, but everyone wonders what I can do. She’s a serious writer. And what am I doing? Writing silly articles for my silly section of the newspaper. Writing silly skits, for a silly sketch troupe, for a college that I’m not even a part of (I’m sorry Victoria College). Writing silly essays, about silly historical feuds and conspiracy stories. How do I break apart from this? Everyone thinks fame runs in the family, but what if it just decided to skip over me? Everywhere I go, the shadow engulfs me. There’s only one solution. I have to do something my sister most definitely has never done before. I have to rob a bank.