"Come here," his voice is gentle again.
She gives in, placing her small hand in his. Lifting the cloth, he sees her blood spill out from her palm. He inhales sharply through his teeth and presses the rag back down. They sit there like that for abo...
Through the large, picture window in the kitchen, the red-orange vest of a robin bore a stark contrast to the bright, yellow flowers of the Angel's Trumpet tree. She loves to be amongst nature whenever she can. Her backyard, filled with trees, plants, and wildlife, is her favorite place to be. She usually delighted with the robin's song, but today it barely registers for her. This is how Gesine knew she is still off when she walks into the kitchen that morning.
She finds Sandra sitting at the table with her fist under her chin, staring at the wall. The beige mush in the bowl in front of her no longer resembles cheerios. The steam from her completely full cup of coffee has long since disappeared. It was 6:30 a.m. Usually Sandra was out of the house before Gesine descended the stairs each day, but she has a later call-time today.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Good morning, sunshine," Gesine greets her. Whatever is on her mind, though, clouds out the sound of both the robin and her sister's voice. Gesine pours herself a cup of coffee and pulls the chair out next to Sandra. "Penny for your thoughts?" She probes. To no avail: Sandra does nothing but blink. The phone rings. Gesine sits quietly, watching to see if she'll respond, but still nothing. Gesine answers.
"'Sup Gesine. Lemme talk to Sandy." It was Nathan, calling from his location shoot in Montana.
Gesine covers the mouthpiece with her hand and shuffles back to the table, tapping Sandra on the shoulder, startling her. "Huh? What?" She asks, still in a daze.
Gesine holds up the phone and whispers, "Nathan."
Sandra signals her rejection with one hand.
"Hey, um, she's...in the shower. Yeah, sorry. I'll let her know though, okay?...Okay. Bye." Gesine hangs up and returns to Sandra. "Alright, sissy, what's up?"
Holding the now room-temperature mug, Sandra takes her first sip of coffee. "Wha—? Nothing. Why?"
Gesine recalls the scene from last night when her sister came home after filming. She barely said hello before heading straight upstairs to a long bath and then going to sleep. She didn't bother eating dinner, let alone sitting down with her and Raymond. "You've been a bit off since last night. What's up?!?"
Sandra smirks and then raises her shoulders. "Nothing!" She is irritated. "I've gotta go." That is her last word spoken before changing and leaving the house.
Weird, Gesine thought to herself before heading upstairs to shower.
