Who I've Been Close to the Longest

Picture Prompt Day 2

     I'm at a point in my life where I have drifted apart from my childhood friends (which hurts more than one might imagine) and have slowly begun drawing close to those I was distant with before.  Such as my younger sister, who you see here 'sailing' with Brown Bear.  He must not be a very good sailor, from the look she's giving us, or he's said something colorful, which would be surprising because I've always found him to be very polite.
     When I think of being close to someone, I think of someone in whom you can confide your thoughts and feelings, even the ones you're afraid others might look at you askance for, someone you turn to when in distress, that you know you can rely on.  While my parents naturally come to mind, especially my father, honestly the first two 'people' think of in these terms are Brown Bear (the teddy you see above) and Taffy, our half German Shepherd/half Airedale Terrier.

    She was about a year older than I was and for as long as I can remember, I viewed her as my older sister.  My parents did a very good job of immediately establishing to Taffy that I was above her on the pecking order and she accepted it with grace.  We have several pictures of infant me on the floor with my toys and in the corner you can see a black, furry Taffy nose, hovering over this new little thing for her to protect.  I can remember hugging her she she was still taller than I was, and I loved laying on the ground, running my toes through her soft, curly fur.  Even when my parents were too busy for me or weren't home or if I just needed a quiet bit of company, Taffy was there.  I was devastated when we had to put her down, finally, at age thirteen, due to cancer.  Hers was the first loss of someone I was close to that I had to deal with and it hit me hard.
     I find it difficult to get close to people, animals are so much easier, but I am glad that I have my sister.  Growing up we weren't close (being just far enough apart in age that I could do 'big girl' things sooner that she could, and traveling in different social circles) but in the last five years, as I graduated from high school and she entered it, we've grown close.  So close that I sometimes swear we're twins born four years apart.  That isn't to say we're exactly the same, we have very different temperaments (think Jane and Lizzy Bennet) and there are some things we cannot agree on (tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, split pea soup, which Outsider is better, comic books), but we can finish each others sentences, often know what other means when what they've said sounds like gibberish to someone else, work well side by side in, and have forged an iron bond.  There is no one I would rather spend time with.