SHORT STORIES

WHEN HATRED BLINDS

Cathy Marbrow took a sip from a miniscule, poised teacup. When she pushed her head too far back, the contents of the teacup emptied and she burnt more than just her tongue and her throat. She burnt everything she was. Everything she could ever be.

From the bay window of her cabin home, her eyes captured the droplets plummeting from the roaring sky as if to compliment her mood. As if to remind her of today. As if she needed reminding.

Her phone beeped, buzzing in her back pocket. With a sigh that weighed heavier than her burdens, she removed it. Cathy stared at the caller ID, her finger hovering over the answer button. Mary flashed across the screen. Mary, who knew nothing but beauty and happiness.

Rejection tempted her. The desire to do what so many had done unto her, but she rolled her eyes and slid her finger across the screen. Mary's voice filtered through, loud and possessing so much joy and light that it blinded her.

"Happy Birthday!"

Cathy flinched, tracing the droplets chasing each other down the window. "Thank you."

"The big twenty-five." Mary released a blissful sigh. "Oh, how you've grown."

Cathy clenched her jaw. "We're the same age."

"Yes, but I'm older."

"A few minutes doesn't count."

Mary howled with laughter. "Gosh, you're so touchy."

Time afforded Cathy none of its bounties to drown in the self hate her sister's remark plunged her into. The telephone rang before she could react and the shrill cry it produced matched the urgency Cathy knew would drip from the person on the end of the line.

"I have to go." She pushed herself away from the windowsill, her bare feet sinking into the carpet as she crossed the living room. The telephone, black and blinking, willed her into the kitchen. "I have another call."

Mary cleared her throat. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Cathy sighed, kicking a rainbow colored sock aside. "I'm not in the mood for guessing games."

Mary released an incredulous bark of laughter. "Happy Birthday?"

"What more do you want?" She shrieked, years of frustration gathering on the tip of her tongue. It bled from her mouth like toxins, melting the pleasantries from the air. "I said thank you, didn't I? What more do you want me to do for you? Grovel at your feet like everyone does? Be forever at your mercy because of a simple birthday wish? You're so self-centered. Isn't it enough that life already gives you everything?"

"I..." Mary sniffed. "I didn't know that's how you felt. How you feel. I just... never mind. Enjoy your day, Cathy. When it finally dawns on you, don't take it too hard. Hatred has already blinded you. Bye."

Cathy ended the call before her sister could. Her chest rose and fell, nostrils flaring. She glared at the telephone as it blared, cutting through her bitter heart and leaving nothing there. Her anger willed her to let the telephone ring. Let whomever needed her suffer as much as she did, but deep down she knew she needed this. As much as she hated helping people, she loved helping people. It was as simple and complicated as that.

"Good morning. Cathy Marbrow from Cathy's Emergency Services speaking. How may I be of service to you today?"

"Yes, hello." Heavy breathing met her ears. "Two of our tourists have met with an accident."

"What kind of accident, sir?"

A beat. "They wanted a better view of the forest."

Cathy pulled a sticky note from the book perched on the countertop. She tapped her pen against the wooden texture, scribbling on the page.