A Clarifying Conversation with your Wombat

Chapter 5

You look at your hands at the wheel.

"What is it?" she finally asks when you do nothing but stare. You don't look at her and keep looking straight ahead.

"Listen Megan, I know you would do anything for Millie. I know she is as important to you as she is to me. And I don't care if mum or dad see it that way. I know this. And the three of us always got along really well.” You don't know if what you say helps Megan. Christ, you don't even know exactly what Megan means. Either she's just pissed off because you make her believe that you won't be on her side during a difficult family discussion like you usually do, or worse, she thinks you wouldn't believe that she loves her little sister and that you are even driving a wedge between them... _Or she reacts so briskly because Millie sleeps next to you in your bed every night. What cannot be! She is your sister damn! And just because you like your other sister... Fuck..._Your drill sergeant hits his face with his hand. Megan just looks at you at first. "You two are infinitely important to me," you continue. "I can't stand one of you suffering, you know that, right?" Megan looks at you seriously. She too is silent for a few seconds.

"Of course I know that." She smiles at you, but you're not done yet.

"I believe you. But I also think something is bothering you. I notice that something has troubled you in the last few weeks." Megan really struggles with her feelings, gives several attempts for answers, but then leaves it at that. You look at her from the side. Please just say that mom is annoying you. Please just say Dad is annoying you. Something just...

A horn interrupt both of you. A car is behind you and you remember that you park right in front of the school of your little sister. You lean angrily out of the window and gesticulate wildly with your arms.

"Drive by, man!" The car overtakes you, not without honking again and a certain hand gesture of a suburban housewife with an angry face. You look back at Megan and freeze when you see her eyes get wet and she tries to hide that by blinking a lot. That's enough. You click your tongue.

"The school is about to start. Let's go, please,” she murmurs pleadingly. In fact, your school is not far from this one. You and Megan don't go to the same class but to the same building in your school.

"No," you say quietly. Megan looks at you. "What do you think of it, when I drive us into the forest and we take a walk before going to school?"

"Oh come on," she sniffs. "You have history and you love history."

"There are more exciting things than the First World War."

"For example?" your sister asks a bit defiantly. She had to listen to several lectures about why the invention of the tank was so important for the progress on the western front. You shrug your shoulders and continue light-heartedly: "Well, for example, the Second World War." That actually makes Megan giggle and you have taken a big step towards success. "But none of that matters if my little Wombat is having a bad time. So what do you say? May I take you into the dark forests and bring you closer to the wonders of nature?” When she says nothing you put a hand on her shoulder. Megan sniffs lightly, but then wraps her hand around yours and nods. "There are more important things than being in school on the last day before the holidays." You two look at each other. "You're much more important to me." Finally Megan smiles, let go of your hand and looks ahead.

"Then drive off, my hero."

My hero? Fuck!

• I had to google for cute animals to find your middle sister's nickname. Do you know how hard that was? Sooo much cuteness! Pay me back for it at: https://www.patreon.com/writingshark and make my life a bit better here on the dark side.