Lost Art of Mystery

My little sister (blonde), and me, circa 1980. The ubiquitous Sears portrait session. I was 16, my sister 14. I think we look a bit “parentified”, and that’s because in a way, we were. Our mother was distracted or overwhelmed a lot. Mostly by our father, who frequently had suspicious “extracurricular activities” keeping him late at the university where he was teaching.

During the 80’s it was a different world, not better, not worse, just different. I would NEVER, ever go back. Personally, I felt I was “doing time” during high school, and I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. My sister too. She was already hanging out with people far from our neighborhood, even when it meant she had to sneak out from her bedroom window at all hours. By the following year, I was in NYC for college and getting schooled in the streets. My sister visited often, and we had many dangerous adventures together. Life in the fast lane, but we lived to tell the tales.

Wild times, but you wouldn’t know it from a glance at this photo. Maybe it’s the lighting, or the haircuts, but we appear to be very mature. I like to say we look a bit like “lawyers” or some sort of “criminal investigators”.

Far from it! More like Baddies in the making…lol.

Do you have any fun throwback photos to share?