An original story by Polly Londis
Buzzzzzzz!
“Aw! This darn thing never works anymore!” I exclaimed.
“That’s because you use it so much,” My younger sister Kitty said in between chomps of potato chips. “Who knew teens could use hair dryers to the breaking point?”
I reached for her, but she ducked down.
“It is a weekend, you know.”
“So?” I said in a careless tone.
“Well, you should start to conserve your energy more often. Play some out side sports, Cat.”
“Stop calling me that! You know I hate that name!”
“Cat, Cat, Cat, Cat!” She repeated just below her breath so our mom couldn’t hear.
Kitty glanced out the window. A breeze of concern flew over her body.
“Look, Cat! Look! You have to see this, it’s an absolute emergency!”
Knowing my sister for twelve years, I knew now that her “Emergencies” were merely only tiny situations, involving her needs. Like the time there was a huge fire ball in the sky heading for Earth. I was wrong this time. Before I could continue that thought, she pushed me down the stairs, step, by step, in a harsh manner.
Maybe this really is an emergency… I thought.
My eyes nearly popped out of my head at the sight of it. Police cars and ambulances were surrounding a tiny, miniscule car, what could it be? Thoughts raced through my head.
A car accident? No, no blood and no smashed trees. Or maybe a drunk driver? Shame on that person! Suddenly, I heard a sharp, weak, little, cry.
All heads turned toward the SUV parked in the center of the street. There, in that car, a little ray of sun shone through the clouds, and onto the tiny, detailed master peace that the mother was proud to have called her baby.
I stood there wide eyed for the whole day. I had just witnessed our neighbor give birth. Kitty finally got me to move.
“Come on, let’s go see that little bundle of fun!”
“Do we have to? It’s not even our baby. It’s the Robinson’s.”
“It’s enough to know their last name, now let’s go!”
Even for a twelve year old, she still had the attention span of a Kindergartener.
We walked across the street, and were greeted by a young boy who looked thirteen.
“Hey, you’re the Blooms, come right in, Kitty, Catherine, Mr. and Mrs. Bloom, hello.”
It was just then that I realized my parents had tagged along in the family car behind us the whole time. My parents were weird that way.
“We brought some cupcakes for your family.” My mom announced.
“So Daniel,” my sister said, “I heard you have two sisters now.”
“You heard correct. My new baby sis is in the room, down the hall, to the right. Oh, and try to stay clear of Emily. She doesn’t seem too happy about the baby. But she’ll eventually warm up to her, that’s how it was with me and her.”
We tip toed into the room and saw a baby with little wisps of orange hair poking from her tiny head. Kitty set down the cupcakes that were really meant for fourth of July on the table.
Relatives poked and prodded the small child and her mother. While my parents and my younger sister were intoxicated by the cuteness, I was about to leave when a little girl grabbed my foot.
“Why you goon’?” Emily said in her poor two year old grammar.
“Well-“My new sistuh is borin’, isn’t she?” She interrupted.
“No, not exactly, I just think it’s a little crowded in here, that’s all. I’m going to Ice Cream Pearl’s.”
“Cah I cum?” She said as she looked at me deeply.
“You would have to go ask your mom.”
“Otay!”
Emily ran down the hall, stumbling a few times, and went to go ask her mother. She came back two minutes later.
“Here!” She exclaimed.
She gave me two wrinkled dollar bills with a grin on her face.
“Tet’s go.”
It took a few minutes, but it wasn’t very long. The ice cream shop seemed abandoned, because everyone was crazy for Dairy Princess’ ice cream. I looked at the menu.
“Two Cookie Doughs, Emily?”
She nodded.
“Two delicious Cookie Dough ice creams, please! Here’s two dollars.”
The cashier’s voice was as crystal clear as a diamond.
“Two cookies, Leanne!”
“Flooshhooop! Ice cream, pearl’s style!”
She flung four scoops, two into each bowl, and then slid our bowls to us on the marble counter.
“Mmmm!” Emily said. “These are yummy!”
I looked down at Emily in the stool she was sitting on, and asked her, “What do you think of your sister now, Emily?”
“Awesome!” She dug into her cookie dough filled ice cream.
I was then seventeen and now I am thirty-one. I pried open Emily’s shell and found that deep within all that jealousy there lay just a twinkle of gratefulness that she now had a happy, healthy, flourishing sister.
Emily is now fifteen turning sixteen, while Melanie is fourteen. They have been through a lot, including losing their brother. I now know that without my help, Melanie and Emily might have had no one to hold and comfort during their hard loss.
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