Purposefully Coincidental ✓

16. Milkshake

Josephine

After a long shift—one that went from 10 to 15 hours when a patient had a heart attack—I like to take time for myself to decompress.

I love my job but now I'm ready for a night in. I can already see how this night is going. Taking a long, relaxing shower, then drinking some wine while I eat and watch my favorite movies.

After said long and relaxing shower, I put on my most comfy pjs. I put my hair in two loose braids so they dry somewhat wavy, then sit on my couch with a bowl of leftover pasta I brought with me last night from my parents'.

After fifteen minutes, I inhale my food and I've gotten pretty engrossed in the movie playing on TV. It's a horror thriller. My favorite genre.

I can feel a jump scare coming. But the reason I yelp isn't because of the move, it's because my front door suddenly flies open.

Three out of my five brothers enter like they own the place. One goes to the kitchen to search for food, the other takes off his shoes and they scatter in front of the front door and the last one takes the remote control from the table and switches the channel.

"What..." I fail to make words.

"Who wants ice cream?" Milan asks, his head halfway inside my fridge.

"Me!" Marco says.

Roman settles next to me after putting the TV to a football game. I stand up and look at them. "What are you all doing here?"

"It's Super Bowl Sunday." He says as if that explains anything.

"So what? I was watching that movie."

"Watch it on Netflix later, or something." He dismisses me. Milan comes back from my kitchen with more than just ice cream. He has cookies, and the other half of the leftover pasta I was saving for later.

"You didn't text or call to tell me you're coming." I accuse. My phone is never on silent, even during the night, for cases like these or if someone I love has an emergency. But it's useless, of course. Because they never let me know beforehand they're planning on coming over to my place.

"What's the point?" Roman shrugs. "You're gonna say yes, anyway."

He's right.

"That's not the point." I stomp my leg. Yes. I stomp my leg like a little kid. "I was enjoying my night alone."

"Uncle Ray is over and you know how he likes to talk our ears off." Marco speaks through a mouthful of my cookies. The ones I was planning on taking with me to work tomorrow.

"Stop eating my cookies. Those aren't yours." I take a half bitten cookie from his hand and put it back in the bowl. As if that would make me feel any better.

"Game is starting." Milan announces.

"Can you move?" Roman shoos me with his hand as I'm standing in front of the TV.

"No. I was watching TV."

"Come on, Josie." He grumbles. "Just move."

I stay rooted in my place and cross my arms across my chest. They always do this. They come without telling me first. Or they'll already be here when I come back from work. And always, I remind them to at least let me know beforehand, so I'm not surprised.

Every single one of my family members has a spare key.

I gave it to them voluntarily. In case of emergencies, I said. I see enough people falling without having any medical conditions and I don't want to be one of those people with no way to reach me. So I dumbly gave them keys. After two days of me living alone, I learned it was the dumbest idea I've ever had.