Double Trouble

Chapter 11: The Truth Sometimes Hurts

I never had a sister before. I have two girl cousins, but they live in England and attend a boring, snotty prepartory academy. I never had a sister before, no one to talk to about boys, no one to receive hair and make-up tips, and no one for to give me make-overs for a school dance. Truthfully, I've never really wanted a sister. My parents were too busy to have me--I always thought they regretted having me, just the way they never come around for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I know every only child in the world is begging Santa for a sibling every year, but I never had the interest. However, now that I have seen Madelyn, I'm starting to realize my mistake. She's been a somewhat good sister from what I've seen.

"Madelyn?" I knock on her door. "Can I come in?" I ask quietly, peeking through the cracked opened door. I hear her grumble and stomp to the door. She opens it wide open.

"What do you want, little sis?" she asks sarcastically and plops down onto her bed. "Let's talk about your problems." She pats the end of her bed next to her and I cautiously sit down next to her.

"I wanted to talk about...," I trail off, trying to find the right answers, "about my birth." She looks up from her phone.

"Oh God, Skylar. You're not adopted. As much as I tell you that you're adopted, you're not. I'm just messing with you when I tell you that," she rolls her eyes. "Take a joke."
"No, not that. Just tell me about the details. Like, was I premature? Were there other people in the room besides the doctors? Was I supposed to be a boy? Is Dad my real father??" I ramble on. She stops me.
"Listen, what I'm about to tell you is only a theory. It may not be true, but only observations I couldn't understand because I was barely two years old." She pauses. "Mom really never told anyone she was pregnant. Other than me, Dad, and one doctor she had trusted, there was no one else during the pregnancy. And no one questioned it. She was barely big enough to be considered pregnant. Unlike me, because I made her look practically 200 pounds overweight." She takes a deep breath. "Then after you were born, they were overjoyed when you came along, as if you were a medical miracle."
I am unable to speak. Instead, I listen intently to what she's saying.
"For the next few years, it was blissful. It really was. Then, when you were five, on your fifth birthday, I remember because it was the day I got my first pink bike without training wheels and I was the coolest second grader in the whole school. On your fifth birthday, some bald headed man stopped by the house and talked to my parents for two straight hours. My mom was bawling her eyes out. I skipped over, and the man was gone."

"What did Mom do?" I ask. I shock myself. I called someone I barely know--someone I have yet to meet--my mother. My mom would be so disappointed...if she really cared.

"Nothing," Madelyn sums up, "she saw me and the tears were gone. She picked me up and told me that everything was going to be okay--that it was time to open my presents." She looks down at her phone, which is pitch black. "Then, after that, it was all smiles. Mom and Dad not once grounded you or took anything away from you. It's like they were protecting you."

"Did you ever find out who the man was?" she asks. "Was it an old affair Mom had? Dad?" She makes a face.

"No! Mom and Dad are the perfect couple, it's almost annoying," she grimaces, "even their names." I frown. "Barb and Kenny?" She snorts.

"Then who was the man? Did you ever ask for his name?" I push.

"No, I was too young. Whatever, did you get what you asked for?" she asks abruptly, her mood suddenly changing. I jolt up.

"Yeah, thanks," I say absentmindedly, making my way towards the door. She stops me.

"If you ever need anything," she pauses, "don't bother me again. Unless your hair is on fire and you need a re-curl."