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“Like you? Pretend you’re so wonderful around our cousins and anyone else who will listen, acting like you were the only one who cared for Mom? Then, when it’s just you and me, you’re back to your nasty self.”
“I did no such thing,” Jennifer said with her usual air of haughtiness. “They know who is better.”
“Better? All you care about is how people see you. You’ve always put me down. You’ve always thought you were better than me. As for Mom, I know what I’ve done for her. And she knows. That’s all I care about.”
Jennifer looked at her manicured nails, diamonds ringed on each finger. “I took care of Mom.”
“For a few weeks while she lay in agony on your couch. And only because I have a job while you stay at home living off your rich husband. You have the room. You can be with her during the day. What do you want me to do? Quit my job to take care of her while she’s recuperating? If I have to, I will.”
“Don’t be silly. She will stay with me, again.” Her air of dominance made Cassie cringe.
Frustration cramped Cassie’s stomach. She took in her surroundings, remembering they were in a hospital. She needed to keep her voice down. She had to think of Mom. She rubbed her temple, a throbbing headache coming on.
“Mother feels the tension between us,” she tried reasoning in a calmer voice. “It isn’t good for her.”
“Tension.” Jennifer gave a harsh laugh. “Try hostility. You’re jealous of me.”
Jealous? Was she serious?
“All you care about is money,” Cassie shot back. “If this is what money does to you, I want none of it.” Cassie loved her sister, but she was tired of being treated unfairly. “What have I done to make you so resentful? What do I have that you want?”
“You?” Jennifer eyed Cassie up and down, as if dissecting a bug.
Cassie couldn’t believe her sister was so ungrateful. “Everything you have was given to you. Your house and your cars were given to you by your rich ex-husband. The new one dotes on you. Giving you diamonds for every finger. You don’t appreciate anything. I wouldn’t blame him if he leaves you, too.”
Jennifer sprang from her chair in such a fury Cassie thought her sister was going to slap her. “How dare you mention my first husband! You wanted him for yourself. You stuck your big boobs in his face every chance you got.
Cassie was flabbergasted. “I did no such thing. You know how self-conscious I am of my size.”
Jennifer laughed, an unpleasant sound. “Flaunting your chest is not what I call being unsure of yourself. You’re just a bitch. You want everything I have. I’ve hated you since the day you were born.”
Cassie gasped like she’d been sucker punched. And she had.
All Cassie remembered of her childhood was criticism, chastisement, and blame. Jennifer’s bitterness had destroyed any sibling affection between them. She’d even taken their father’s belt to Cassie when their parents were not at home. Never praise. Never kindness, or being allowed to join in with her sister or her friends. Never welcomed, never included in outings. When they got older, Cassie foolishly thought adulthood would make things better. But her sister married a man who had money and still continued to play her games.
“I don’t want you back here when you’ve been drinking. The way you were with dad.”
“What?”
“Dad called me the night before he died. He said you were drunk when you came to his hospital room.”
It took a moment for Cassie to gather her scattered wits. Dad hadn’t known how to call from the hospital bed. He’d been so strung out on pain medication, he could barely tell the difference between the phone and the TV remote.
“You upset him. He was out of breath.”
“His lungs were black with tar. That’s why he was in the hospital. He was on oxygen.” This was just one of Jennifer’s attempts to catch Cassie off guard. And it was working.
“He said you were loud and obnoxious. He was ashamed. I asked him if you’d been drinking and he said, ‘You know your sister’.”
That specific evening arose in her mind crystal clear. She’d kidded with her father and tried to make him laugh.
Cassie refused to permit her oppressive sister to bully her any more. Growing up was bad enough. Mom loved them both. Cassie couldn’t figure out why her sibling felt insecure. She could not allow Jennifer to continue hurting her. She had to believe in herself. This was a discussion for another day and not while their mother lay in a hospital bed. She grabbed her purse and stomped away. Her sister quickly followed.
“Where do you think you’re going? I’m not finished.”
Cassie spun on the balls of her feet. “Well, I am. I am finished with you.”
The shock on Jennifer’s face should have given Cassie some relief. It didn’t. She headed to her mother’s room. Coming to a halt, she peeked in and found her mom sound asleep. By her slow, steady breathing, Mom appeared to be resting and not in pain.
