3: 3
3
Early the next morning, I was on my way out to work.
Daniela suddenly knocked on my bedroom door.
"Sis, let me use that most expensive bottle of perfume of yours!"
Her voice came through the doorway, full of righteous entitlement.
It wasn't as if she had no perfume of her own. She had a whole cabinet's worth, while I owned only this one bottle.
I didn't agree.
"Why not use your own?"
She smiled.
"I want it to spray on my shoes. Mine all cost a fortune, it'd be a waste, throwing good things away."
So she'd decided to use mine instead.
But my one bottle wasn't cheap either.
I'd been so careful with it, hating to waste a spray, and yet the very first day I brought it home she'd knocked over more than half of it by accident.
I'd been so heartsick I couldn't sleep all night.
And now here she was, demanding to borrow it as if it were her right.
"Can't lend it to you."
I refused without hesitation, and Daniela ran off crying, her eyes red.
Not long after, someone kicked my door open.
Irvin walked in, his face full of anger.
"It's just borrowing your perfume for a bit. Why be so stingy?"
"Your sister thinks of you whenever she gets anything good."
"How is it that you're the only one this selfish?"
Irvin had a good temper. Even when we argued, he had never lost it at me like this.
But now, it was as if I'd done something unforgivable.
"Irvin, get it straight, who exactly is your girlfriend?"
"I have one bottle of perfume. When someone wants to borrow it, am I supposed to hold it up and hand it over on my knees?"
"I'll ask you one last time. Are you lending it or not?"
Irvin's face was cold, with no room to negotiate.
"No."
"Fine!" Irvin let out an angry laugh, then suddenly pulled out his phone. "It's just a bottle of perfume. What's the big deal?"
Right there, he photographed it, ran an image search, and ordered Daniela ten bottles of the same brand in different scents.
Daniela froze for a moment, then it hit her and she jumped up, thrilled.
"Irvin, I must have saved the universe in a past life, you're so good to me!"
"Ten bottles of perfume, I couldn't spray my shoes with it in a whole lifetime!"
And I just stood there watching Irvin, digging my nails into my palm until it hurt.
That bottle of perfume was the birthday gift Irvin had given me three years ago.
Every time, I used it so carefully, terrified of wasting it.
And now Irvin was using it to get back at me, hard.
I said nothing. Lips pressed tight, I picked up my bag and turned to leave, and in doing so I accidentally knocked off the glass doll Daniela had set on the sofa.
It shattered into pieces.
Daniela's scream followed at once.
"Ah! Hilda, what are you doing? Even if you don't want to let me use your perfume, you can't take revenge on me like this!"
Daniela cried until her eyes went red.
"This glass doll was bought overseas, a limited edition, more expensive than your perfume!"
I was at a loss. "I didn't do it on purpose..."
"Hilda!"
Irvin's face darkened. "I really never noticed before that you could be this vindictive!"
"You're the one who broke Daniela's doll, so you're the one who pays her back for it!"
Irvin ordered me to take a part-time job in my free time after work and earn back the money for the glass doll.
All at once I remembered how it used to be.
Every time, I was the one doing the chores and cooking, while my sister lay around binge-watching her shows.
The moment I complained even once,
Irvin was sure to snap at me.
"Your sister is so thin, anyone can see she isn't eating or sleeping well, that she's always being put upon. As her older sister, shouldn't you feel a little more for her?"
"Instead of standing here jealous, you'd do better to go help your sister with something."
He was always finding all kinds of part-time jobs for me, and then turning around to take my sister to the movies.
To Disneyland.
They made so many memories together that even the wall in my living room was covered with photos of the two of them.
In every one of those photos, I was the only one missing.
Maybe I should have been used to it all along.
Over the next few days, I went to work, came home, ate, and slept, the same as always.
Irvin was still busy, sending me a message now and then, and I replied in a few words.
He seemed to sense something, but not fully.
He just thought I was still sulking over the gift.
So on Friday night he left work early on purpose, saying he'd take me out for sushi.
"Daniela says a friend recommended a place that just opened, the food's supposed to be amazing. Let's go try it."
He talked as he drove.
I sat in the passenger seat, staring at the streetlights streaming past the window, not answering.
"What's wrong? Don't feel like sushi? Then we'll go somewhere else, what do you want?"
I turned to look at him. "You're taking me out to eat. Why bring up which place Daniela says is good?"
The question caught him off guard, and then he laughed.
"I just said it offhand. When did you start taking everything to heart?"
"Is that so."
I looked away. "Sushi's fine, then."
There was still a message sitting in my phone, one the company had just sent.
"Hilda, for this transfer to Australia, you're the only young woman going, so make sure you're prepared. A car will come pick you up for the airport tomorrow."
Five minutes ago, I'd looked down and replied with one word. "Okay."
After all, I was leaving tomorrow.
This was the last meal. I'd just treat it as a proper goodbye.
