(This is a story I did for a writing program I'm in. The two characters are loosely based off of my relationship with my sister. I hope you enjoy!)
People say that I seem so put together, so organized. I suppose that is true, but they say it as if I’m perfect, as if that’s all there is to perfection. If that’s what they mean, and I’m not just misinterpreting, then they couldn’t be more wrong. There have been many times when it was obvious that I wasn’t perfect, and that Tuesday with Analiese has always been a clear indicator to me that there are things about myself that leave a lot to be desired. In fact, they are so far from perfect they are completely imperfect.
Analiese, on the other hand, is a kind soul, always looking out for others. She’s very compassionate, and is very optimistic. Most people are shocked to learn that we’re sisters, since I’m the complete opposite. While I’m not completely selfish, I have difficulty with empathizing with others, and emotions are merely a bother to me. If there was one thing about Analiese that was imperfect, it was that she falls in love too easily. She was always dating, and I could hardly keep track of the names.
Of course, her one imperfection merely made her seem even more complete and perfect.
The Tuesday that I remember started off with what seemed to be a warning. The sky was dreary, clouds hanging low as we drove to school. Once we reached the school, we learned that she left her lunch at home. That, mixed with the weather, should have been an indication to us that the day would not turn out well, but Analiese shrugged it all off with a cheery smile. I tried to warn her, I really did. I saw the signs, but she merely said I was being pessimistic. She’s always been obnoxiously hopeful in that way, constantly overly cheerful. I suppose she got what was coming to her...no, that’s cruel. She didn’t deserve it.
I learned later that her classes didn’t go so well either, with three pop quizzes, a failed test, and hours of assigned homework. Topped by a fight with friends, the day was clearly awful. I think her girlfriend of the week breaking up with her was the breaking point (no pun intended) for her. A cheery attitude can only go so far. Once we got home, she broke down in tears.
It was a strange sight for me. How could anyone be so emotional, especially in front of others? I stood awkwardly at the door, unsure of what to do. I know now that I should have comforted her, but in that situation, what is comfort? Should I have hugged her, or perhaps offered to make her a cup of tea? No, she hated tea. During my inner monologue of panic, she had managed to calm down, without any help. I suppose she didn’t need comfort, then? Maybe I did the best thing, not approaching her. She seems fine now. I did good!
I jumped in surprise, and stared at her curiously. “Well...what? You have to be more specific, Ana.”
“What?! This entire day has been a piece of shit, you can’t honestly expect me to be able to…” She took a deep breath, and stared at me, trying to remain calm. “Apologies. I shouldn’t expect such a...a robot to understand human emotion, no matter how simple it may be.”
I glare at her. “Robot? Is that the best insult you can come up with? Anyways, it’s not like I don’t have emotions. I just don’t like showing them. Also, it’s better to not reveal them than to show the entire world how you’re feeling at any given moment.” She scoffs and rolls her eyes before storming off to her room, slamming the door in the stereotypical teenager way.
I sigh, and pick up her school bag before dumping it on the living room floor. If she wants it, she’ll have to talk to me first. I decide to make dinner, which will be salad with macaroni and cheese (since I’d probably burn anything else). I then make hot chocolate, and set it all out in the living room, certain that she would be down soon after the aroma of her favorite foods wafted up to her room.
A few minutes after I had everything set up, I heard the creaking of stairs as she walked in, avoiding eye contact. I was right, like normal.
“I made dinner.” Silence.
“It’s your favorite.” Ana is still angry, I suppose. What do I do in this situation? I feel...guilty. What would make her feel better?
“Hey...Astrid, look. I’m sorry for snapping at you, all right? It’s just been a really, really bad day, and I know you’re not too good at emotions, and I should have remembered that.”
I laugh a bit, surprising her. “It’s not your fault, your day was really crappy, and I should work on being more sympathetic.”
She smiled, and laughed a bit, shaking her head.
“I was apologizing. Don’t ruin it!” Laughing, Analiese hugged her sister.
“So...what movie did you pick out?”
“Paint it, White!” She giggles a bit.
“That movie is so weird though! Let’s watch it.” I smile slightly, and look outside. The clouds seem to be clearing up, the sun shining into our house through the large windows in the living room. I’m relieved that the evening seems to be looking up.
“Hey! Astrid, guess what?” I turn, glancing at Ana from my desk in our room.
“So...the teacher incorrectly graded my tests! I aced half of them, and the others I got a passing grade! On top of that, the pop quizzes went well, too!”
I smile, and return to my work.
“That’s good. See, it was a bit ridiculous to fight yesterday, everything turned out alright.” I can hear her groan from her side of the room.
“Astrid, can’t you be supportive for once without turning it into a lecture?” I laugh a bit, and shake my head.
“Whatever. Get back to work, silly, unless you want another bad grade!” She sighs, and returns to her homework. I stare out the window, distracted by the workers cleaning up fallen branches from the storm that had happened while we were asleep.
The neighbor’s yard is beginning to clear up, and looks better than it did before. It’s kind of like our relationship, I suppose. After the argument, the cruel words were cleaned up and now we’re working together much better than before. Storms never last, I suppose. We just have to weather through them, and life will be okay on the other side. Tuesday was a crappy day, but now we’re both even better than before. While neither of us are perfect, and never will be, we’re as close as can be.
We’re getting along, and sympathizing with each other, and that’s the most important thing to be able to do.
