We were born in the same townhouse in Chicago, but we never got along as children. My cousin was nine months older and was always taller, fairer, and prettier. She was popular everywhere she went. As a young adult, I based my entire identity on everything she wasn't - she went away to NYC for college, so I went away to Boston. Neither one of us ever attempted to see each other during those years, despite the short distance between the two cities. If someone had told me back then that I would take a five-hour flight to go see her, I would have never believed it in a million years!