Every love has a story. How you first met. Who said the first word.
Even mine does.
Seven o'clock is not the time anyone will think of falling in love. But as our worlds collided, we did just that. In a moment...
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CHAPTER 6
The red light was on. It was flashing steadily, alongside the ringing sound of the bell. The barrier was lowered down, and we stopped from walking. A noise was heard from a distance, like a distant thunder approaching. Then there was the sound of the loud engine passing us by as the train went across.
Clink. Clink. Clink.
Kath, my little sister, hid behind me. I held her hand firmly, assuring her it was okay. Things like this made her unsteady, like the sound of this passing train, a sudden horn of a huge truck, or the sirens going around the street. So all along, I did what I did best—I made her feel all right.
I tucked back my hair behind my ear, waiting for the barrier to be raised. Turning to my sister, who took a step forward as soon as the train was out of sight, I asked, "Where do you want to go today?"
It was a lazy Saturday morning, the time we frequently spent together. After I cooked breakfast for us so that Mom could sleep in, we'd walk around town, hand in hand. Saturday mornings were for Kath, and afternoons were when Ariel usually came over to our house.
Kath looked around, and then she bit her thumb while shaking her head. At the age of eight, she was still carrying on her habits when she was four, as if time had stopped for her that day. It once did for all of us, but she was the only one who remained on the same ground.
That was why, whenever I was with her, I put myself in her place. We both stood in her silence, of soundless cries and distant longing. I wanted her to know that she had someone who would always be by her side.
I was the only one she got, especially after what our mother had told us last night. Mom said that she started dating Dad's friend, the pediatrician she was working for. I'd already seen it coming. I was only waiting for the time when she would finally step up and come clean.
"Do you want to go to the playground?" I asked her again.
Kath shook her head.
"How about we get some popsicles?" I tried, hoping to finally get it right. And with the mention of the world popsicles, her blue eyes lit up. Popsicles it would be. "Come on."
Kath laid her head on my right arm as we were walking. I was used to her silence, but sometimes I wanted to know what was going on inside her head. I had glimpses of it, but they were not enough to establish the whole thing and lay it all down.
There was a small convenience store across the railway, five streets away from our house. It was the nearest stop that sold popsicle sticks. There were two more. One of it was Stop Shop, which I was sure that I wouldn't dare go to. It was where Isabelle and the pep girls frequently spent their time.
"Sold out," the one behind the counter told us.
I nodded and led Kath out of the store. "We'll find one. Don't worry."
