3: 3
3
I hung up and walked back into the private room, and Scarlett suddenly turned to me.
"Fliss, what present did you get me?"
Every eye in the room settled on me.
I stood there, my throat dry and tight.
Locked out all night, then running around all day.
I hadn't even had a sip of water. Where would I have found the energy to buy a gift?
When I said nothing, Scarlett's eyes filmed over with tears.
"Fliss, is it that you don't want me back home?"
Then came the reproaches from my parents, one after another.
"Felicity Sullivan, how can you be so thoughtless? Your sister finally comes home and you don't have a single kind gesture for her?"
"So selfish. How can you be this petty?"
"We raised you for nothing. Not an ounce of sisterly feeling. Cold-blooded and heartless."
Fergus lifted his eyes to me, distant and indifferent.
"Fliss, what you did really was wrong."
I kept my head down and bit down hard on my lip.
Scalding tears fell, one drop at a time, onto the white rice in front of me.
They had welcomed my sister home with full, happy hearts.
They'd remembered to lay out a table of fine food for her, expensive gifts, a house paid in full, they'd even remembered a special feast for the dogs.
The only thing they'd forgotten was that today was my birthday too.
After the meal, Fergus did something rare and came to talk to me.
"Fliss, there's something I want to say to you."
Something stirred in me.
I thought he was going to explain why he'd ignored my messages last night.
I thought he still remembered that today was my birthday.
But he hesitated a long while before he raised his eyes to me.
"Scarlett just got back, and she can't keep up with the pace here yet. I'm worried she won't find a decent job."
"I want to refer her into our company."
I froze where I stood.
The company Fergus worked at was the leading firm in the area.
The bar to get in was sky-high. Ordinary people fought tooth and nail and still never made it.
Even I, with a degree from a top university, had to wear him down for a long time just to land a referral for an internship spot.
A translator position on the overseas projects. The time zones were flipped, days and nights blurred into one.
I often stayed up proofreading drafts until two or three in the morning.
I didn't dare take time off, didn't dare make a mistake, didn't dare ease up for a second.
I ground through a full six months of it.
Now the internship was almost over, and my coworkers all said that with how hard I worked, being made permanent wouldn't be a problem.
But the company also had an unwritten rule: each employee could only refer one person.
"Fergus, what exactly are you saying?"
He lowered his eyes, but his tone left no room for argument.
"Fliss, resign on your own and give the position to her."
I'd already decided to join the Antarctic expedition.
But resigning on my own and being forced out to make room for someone else were two very different things.
"Fergus, you know how hard I fought to be made permanent, how much I put into it."
"And now, with one word from you, I'm supposed to just hand it all over?"
"And if I don't agree to resign?"
He flushed, embarrassed and angry.
"Felicity Sullivan, Scarlett is your sister, not a stranger."
"If you won't resign, I'll have the company fire you outright. Scarlett studied abroad, her English is better, she's a better fit for the position anyway."
"Think it over carefully. Don't make everyone lose face."
With that he left me standing there and strode off to catch up with Scarlett ahead.
The two of them walked shoulder to shoulder, talking and laughing.
My phone buzzed. A message from the project lead of the Antarctic expedition.
"Miss Sullivan, we depart in three days. We've prepared a welcome package for you here, a full set of daily supplies, cold-weather gear, and a food kit, everything covered. You don't need to bring a thing, just show up."
Those few short lines, I read them over ten times.
It was the only kindness, the only bit of warmth I received on my birthday today.
I lifted my hand and quietly wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes.
It's all right. I'll be gone soon.
