A Shattered Glass, My Life Without Her

My Sister's Keeper

Kat is resting, her eyes closed from a long day and I'm sitting next to her folding our freshly dried clothes I had just plucked from the dryer. She has always had a big bed because of her height, and the moments we spent as children playing and chatting and sharing on her bed are some of my favorites. The broad surface feels like a safe home base from the trials, life off the bed, would bring. And in this bouncy pen, Kat and I can keep each other forever. I'm picking each piece of laundry off of Kat's body now since I had playfully dumped the basket of fluffy warm fabrics on top of her. She lies still, appreciating the warmth that is now draped over her exhausted self.

I look upon my favorite sleepy heroine. 'You're really tired, huh?'

Her eyes staying shut, 'It was a long and cold day.'

'Yeah it was...seems it's always like this... going for fifteen, sixteen hours a day and in these temperatures as well?' I recall how arduous it can be, spending the entirety of a day trying to stay warm in subzero temperatures. I'm glad the producers have my sister's comfort managed and under control. She has mentioned how glad she is to be in Officer Haught's uniform verses what Melanie or Dom have to wear for their costumes.

'No, it's not. Just once in a while... it's better to get a lot done in one long day sometimes...but I'm not complaining... Melanie has longer hours than any of us. She goes at least fourteen hours pretty much every day.'

'You need some unwinding. Do you want some tea or some wine?' I offered.

'Mmm, a cup of tea would be nice. Thank you Iev.' She grabs her favorite fluffy sweater and pulls it over her face enjoying the warmth before continuing her muffled response. 'I love fresh dryer clothes. It always smells so nice.'

'I'm glad you had me get back heah sooner otherwise you'd be deprived of your warm sweatuhs and we'd both be short of clean underweah.' I chuckle at the thought of both of us having to go commando. I had spent the day on set with Kat and some cast members again. But she had suggested I come back to the apartment when most of the crew usually departs for the day. She didn't know when she'd be done herself and didn't want me to wait. She had only just gotten home now at ten o'clock at night.

'Mmm, thanks for doing the laundry Iev.' Still inhaling into the cozy fabrics, her face pokes out with a smile. 'Remember when mom would wash our coats early in the morning, so we'd have warm coats to wear when we left for school?'

'Are you hinting at a particular request?' I climb off Kat's bed, grabbing a stack of my clothes with me.

'Uh, no. But you know what? You just might be on to something.'

'Well, don't forget about that time your coat shrunk in the dryer right after you had a growth spurt.' I remember Kat's cuffs hitting near her elbows when she was seventeen. She chuckles at the memory as I head out of the room towards my own, on the way to the kitchen.

***

'Are you asleep?' I whisper, quietly returning to Kat's room with a cup of chamomile tea for my sister.

'Almost.' A sleepy drawl replies.

'I brought you tea. Do you still want it?'

'Mmm, yes please.' Kat sits up and pushes her sweater to the side before taking the mug in her hands to take a sip. 'Did you enjoy your day on set Iev?'

I nod reaching for the last sweater to fold. 'I got to see the costumes department make a demon creature outfit. There was alot of fluffy stuff and dismantled felt.'

'Isn't it awesome how they can create anything imaginable and then on top of that, they need to make sure it fits an actor as well?' I nod in agreement while balancing the neatly folded stack of clothes into my hands and heading for her dresser.