Double Trouble 2: Twisted Sisters

Chapter Seven

I sat at work excited for my lunch hour. I worked hard and productively, trying to get time to pass quickly, but time still dragged. By the time lunch rolled around, I was super antsy.

I left a few minutes before 12 to get there on time and quickly approached the Japanese restaurant Jason had found for us. A few minutes after 12, I walked in and saw him sitting at a table in the corner. The lunch rush was gathered, and it was busy. I'm guessing he had been there a little earlier to get a good table. I walked over to him, and he smiled while standing and pulling out my chair for me.

He said, "Good afternoon; how are you?" I said, "Pretty good; work is slow, but it's still a decent day; been pretty busy all morning. What about you? How are things?" He gave me a huge smile and said, "I got my promotion!" I gave a little gasp and said, "Congratulations! I knew you could get it; I'm so proud of you!" I stood and leaned across the table, giving him a big hug. He held me a little longer than was probably appropriate, but then he let me go. The waitress was approaching.

We both sat down, looking slightly flustered and embarrassed at our little display. We both ordered a combination of fried rice with shrimp, steak, and chicken and miso soup for an appetizer. When she walked off, I said, "So tell me everything. What is this new job? I want all the details."

He smiled as he talked, he told me his new pay grade, which was very impressive, and he had plenty of benefits. He would lead the electrical engineers as one of the three seniors overseeing a team of 50 engineers. His hours were regular Monday through Friday, starting pretty early and ending in the afternoon, but if he were needed on big projects, he would have to come in. There weren't any overtime bonuses because it was salary, but he said he got bonuses depending on the job and the company they would be contracted with.

By the time he finished, our food was here. We had lighter conversation, but he was still on a high about his promotion. We talked a little bit more about my career and how I was preparing my application to law school with all the papers and interviews, and it was going to be pretty busy.

After we finished lunch, he paid the bill, and we walked out. He walked me to my car, and we stood there chatting briefly. It was obvious neither of us wanted to leave each other, but after checking my watch and realizing it was time for me to go back to the office, I finally began saying my goodbyes.

He nodded and held his arms open for a hug, and I willingly went into them. We both held on for a long time, and I breathed in the scent of his cologne. Reluctantly I pulled back, and he cleared his throat and opened my car door for me. I got in, gave him a quick wave, and whispered bye before pulling off.

The rest of the afternoon went past in a blur, mostly because I couldn't focus on anything. Luckily since I was so productive in the morning trying to kill time, it didn't look like I was missing any work. My mind was so full of Jason that I mostly just idled around, although I was able to do a few small tasks. I couldn't get his scent out of my head, his joy at his promotion, the smile on his face when he looked at me, and how his arms felt as he hugged me in front of my car. I knew I still had feelings for him, but trying to convince myself that we really shouldn't get a relationship started, or anything like that was rather difficult. Yet I knew I would keep trying. How long it would last, though, was another thing.

I headed straight home when I got off work, ready to go home and relax desperately. I parked and quickly headed inside the house. I turned out of the short hall and into my living room and screamed in surprise.

My parents were sitting on the couch and had scared the hell out of me. I held my hand to my chest and crouched over slightly, trying to catch my breath. My mom stood quickly and came to me and said, "Sorry baby, we didn't mean to scare you. We were just waiting for you to get home." She gently grabbed my elbow and led me to the loveseat, sitting beside me.

I said, "It's ok, I just didn't expect you guys, and you were sitting so quietly." My dad said, "We really didn't mean to scare you, though. We just wanted to see you. You never answered any of your mother's calls yesterday."

I avoided their eyes because I knew exactly where this conversation would go, and I didn't want to have it all. They were really killing my high from seeing Jason. I stood and asked, " Do you want something to drink?" They both shook their heads, and I saw Dad about to open his mouth and say something, but I said, "I'll be right back; let me go change out of these work clothes and grab me something to drink." I quickly left the room and ran upstairs to my bedroom. I dawdled as long as possible, trying to prolong the torturous conversation we were about to have.

I changed into sweatpants and a loose t-shirt and then headed into the kitchen, pouring myself a large glass of wine before heading back into the living room and curling up on the loveseat.

"So, how are you two? How's work for you guys?" My mom looked at my dad and then turned back and said, "Honey, we wanted to talk to you about Clara." I looked down into my wine glass and said, "What about her?" Dad said, "Look, let's not beat around the bush, Christa; you know what we want to discuss."

I said, "I'm not beating around the bush, I was hoping that you would catch the hint and realize that Clara was the last thing I wanted to discuss, but you clearly aren't in the mood for hints, so I guess I have to be blunt and say that I don't want anything else to do with Clara."

Mom said softly, "Honey, Clara is your sister, and you are the only one she is responding to right now."

I laughed darkly and said, "So we are just going to forget that this is the same sister that tried to kill me and two other men? Are we going to forget that she is crazy as all hell and is probably only responding to me to fuck with me? Did we not think about that? She doesn't say shit to anyone in a year, but I come around, the person she had the issues with, and suddenly she's Miss Chatty fucking Cathy!"

"Don't speak to your mother that way! We are trying to help your sister!" I said, "And what about me? Have you guys any idea the mental toll that this is taking on me? No, we haven't because all you care about right now is getting your little girl back, but the problem is that she was never your little girl. You raised us both the same; despite her thoughts, you gave us the same amount of love and the same amount of care. She has a mental problem, and she let that take her to a dark place. I feel bad for her, I really do, but not at the expense of my own mental health!"

Mom stood and said, "Of course, we care about you! But Clara needs help right now! You've turned out great; you have a good job, you are living alone, you have friends, and from Clara's recent words, you are back in touch with Jason. You are doing fine!"

I said, "What the fuck do you consider fine, Mother? You mean the almost nightly nightmares where I relive the moment my sister tried to kill me? Or are the regular meetings with a therapist to try and make some kind of sense of my life? How about the fact that being in touch with Jason just reminds me of how she ruined my life and his? About my happily ever after that she ripped from me? Is that fine to you? Is the fact that I have to live with the fact that my twin sister hates me so much that she wishes she was an only child? Please fucking enlighten me because none of that shit seems fine! She is driving me crazy; the more I talk to her, the more I go crazy. She wasn't the only person whose life was ruined that day. The difference is she chose this path I didn't!"

I was breathing deeply, trying to catch my breath, when I realized I couldn't. I started hyperventilating, and even though I couldn't stop it, I realized I was having a panic attack. My breathing was heavy and quick, and I couldn't drag in enough air. My vision started getting blurry, and I slowly tried to find the wall to hold on to instead of falling straight out. Finally, I backed against it and slid down quickly, hitting my butt hard on the floor. I heard Mom and Dad scream, "Christa!" before everything went black.