✅ My Sister's Problem

62. Pranks and Consequences

I jogged around the outside of the clearing, and dumped the plastic stuff into three large recycling bins. They looked like little log cabins, made from whatever pieces of timber had been available, and had big recycling logos indicating the type of plastic cut into the sides, to throw things through. I glanced across towards where we were parked, and wondered if I could get back to talk to Mum while Lindy was still disposing of the card and wood stuff for recycling.

No way. I was fit, sure, and keeping in practice for two and a half different sports had boosted my stamina a little, but I didn't have my skates with me to make any decent speed, and Lindy had the shorter path back to the car. We were parked right near the paper bin, which was probably why she'd chosen to take that one. She wanted to be sure she wouldn't miss her entertainment. I blushed when I thought about it. Could I go to the toilets in the woods again before I got back to the car without Lindy noticing? I didn't think it would help anyway. I knew I'd drunk more than I should have done, a coffee and a whole bottle of lemonade, plus whatever she'd managed to trick me into by swapping cups around, but all that liquid hadn't reached my bladder yet.

I could, however, take a couple of steps up a climbing frame that lay on my path, and look across to where Mum was returning to the car. She was wearing bright enough colours that I could make her out clearly despite all the other people in between; and I could see that she hadn't met Lindy yet. Lindy had done her best to ensure that I wouldn't be able to tell Mum about this without her being present; but she said nothing about texting.

"Lindy's trying to blackmail me again," I typed. "Think she's going to try that trick with a bowl of water tonight or tomorrow. She's got a camera that isn't linked to her phone so you won't see it. I don't want to spoil the trip, I'd rather let her feel like she's winning a little if that satisfies her. But I don't like her having that much leverage. I didn't think we brought any bowls but don't know what else she could mean. Has she got one?"

I was almost back to the car when I got a reply. My eyes skimmed over the text: "your bath float thing is the only one I can think of. I'll move it to your closet so she can't find it so easily. And I know how to deal with the camera don't worry about that. I promise that any inappropriate pictures she has will have vanished before we get home. But she can still blackmail and baby you during the trip if I think you're enjoying it. Tell me when you've had enough."

I blushed a lot when I saw that. Mum knew me better than I knew myself, in some ways. Lindy talking down to me like a baby made me feel like I didn't have any control, like she had all the power, and sometimes that could be more comfortable than taking responsibility for her worries. Yes, I wanted her to be mean to me on some level, and it was probably that more than the desire for peace on a family holiday that motivated me in letting her get away with this little trick. And once I realised that, I knew that I didn't even need some trickery., I could have gone back to the car and told Mum that she threatened me. If the camera was confiscated, she had no chance of controlling me. Still, I saw no problem with a little desperation on the drive.

"Right, anybody need the bathroom again before we set off?" Mum asked. "We're behind schedule almost as much as every other year, so I don't want any other delays."

"We're good," Lindy said, and chuckled.

"Sally?"

I met my sister's eyes, looked away, and told Mum that I was good to go. It was a dumb choice really, accepting a diaper would have less chance of causing problems and would have embarrassed me in that special way that was almost like a drug. But it would also have meant humiliating myself before we even set off, and I couldn't bring myself to do that. I couldn't ask for that, especially if Mum still wasn't sure if this was actually something I wanted.