Sister Feud

Whether it’s over an article of clothing, a boy, a spilled secret or a $500,000 lottery jackpot, no feud should come between sisters. Of course girls fight. Once in a while it’s bound to happen that your sister will get on your nerves, or you’ll get into an argument over something stupid and insignificant. But it’s normal. You fight, you forgive and you move on.

But that wasn’t the case with sisters Theresa Sokaitis and Rose Bakaysa. These two elderly women had been close all their lives. They shared everything and had an agreement to split all of their gambling winnings evenly. Unfortunately, the sisters got into a battle over a loan of $250 that one had made to the other. This was the start of the rivalry, when their sweet friendship went down the drain.

After their “breakup,” they unofficially decided to nullify their well-made agreement to divide future winnings. But when Sokaitis heard about Bakaysa’s $500,000 lottery win, she called her sister declaring that she had a rightful share. Bakaysa refused to give her a dime. When lawyers got involved, they stated that the sisters’ fight did not officially change their contract; they would have to share.

This story reminds us of another extreme feud between two sisters: the battle of the striped cardigan. It all started in a dressing room. Both girls equally loved the way the cardigan fit, and when they looked at each other they knew without words that they would buy and share this special sweater. They were used to splitting the cost and sharing whatever they got. It was never a problem until one sister was packing for a trip to Europe.

Since she was in love with the striped sweater that fit her perfectly, she figured her sister would let her tuck it in her suitcase. She was wrong. How could the sister staying home let the other bring her favorite sweater away with her for months? It didn’t seem fair. Fights. Silent treatments. Outrageous yelling. Tantrums. The girls couldn’t be in the same room for longer than three minutes without calling each other out. Finally, the sister going on the trip got their mother to purchase the same striped sweater in the same size, from the same store, for the same price. Immediately after, the sisters forgave each other, and the battle was never mentioned again.

Sisters can’t let material objects come between them. Sisters are sisters and share more than just a sweater or a $500,000 jackpot.

Posted by both Evelyn and Isabelle D.