samantha is six years my junior. when i was a kid, she was an amazing companion, always chipping in and keeping me company on whatever project i had on the go.
throughout grade school, i had a coffee tin, decorated with stickers on the outside, that i kept full of small trinkets--gum ball machine toys that i no longer wanted, prizes i had won for reading the most books in my class and other small random tidbits. i somehow convinced her through "thank you" bribes of these toys to help me with cleaning my closet, going through papers, creating crafts or re-arranging my bedroom furniture.
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