✅ My Sister's Problem

58. The First Day of the Rest of My Life

"All ready?" Mum asked in the kitchen. As had become a routine, there was no cereal on offer today. We each had a piece of fruit, a bagel, a couple of chips, and a travel mug of some kind of drink. Everything was in the weird disposable trays that everybody has in the audience during big matches, or if you buy nachos at the cinema. No dishes to wash, nothing to slow us down, and we could eat on the move if something put us behind schedule. "I've got to–"

"I need to sort this out with Harper before we go," I said. "I'll nip next door and talk to her real quick. I'll take the trash out while I'm going, I think you'll need a little extra time for organisation."

I gestured to where Lindy was standing at the bottom of the stairs. She was supposed to be carrying just the essentials that she couldn't do without; the things she hadn't been able to pack the day before yesterday. But as well as a choice of two coats she still had Bosnia and Zod, a whole bunch of assorted art materials apparently rammed at random into three carrier bags, one of which was splitting at the bottom, and her book bag stuffed with whatever else she thought she might need. She was also carrying a large bowl, which I heard her throw in the direction of the sink as soon as Mum was facing the other way. How could she possibly expect that to work? I didn't know, but she remained nonchalant despite a dull thud when it hit the countertop followed by a resonant clang-clang-clang as it came to a halt in the sink.

"Want to throw the diapers out so Mum won't know you had an accident?" Lindy asked, and I could hear the hostility in her voice. She wasn't just joking now, it was like she actually hated me. I couldn't understand it. "Why do you want to talk to her anyway? After what she told– What she's been saying about me. Mum said we're supposed to help each other!"

"I think that's why your sister is going to yell at her, Lindy," Mum spoke calmly in response to the tantrum. "I know you're upset. And I know you don't want to tell Sally what prompted this, but she still cares about you. So let yourself believe that she has your back sometimes. Okay? I'm normally flying around the house trying to make sure everything is clean and all the bins are empty before we go, so there's nothing stinking up the place when we get back. If Sally can sort that out, I've got more time to try and fit all the last minute things in the car. Do you want to help, or are you going to keep sulking?"

Lindy didn't say anything, so I dashed up the stairs and pulled out a black trash bag. The bins from Mum's room, my room and Lindy's, and both bathrooms all went into one bag. I grabbed a half-eaten bag of corn snacks from Lindy's desk as well; even if it was okay now, which I doubted, it would be really stale by the time we returned. My trash bag was pretty heavy, not a problem but I thought it wouldn't be easy to tell that there was a diaper in there. Then I rushed downstairs and picked up bins from the kitchen, lounge, den, and the bag of fluff from the washing machine's filter. Everything fitted in one bag. I grabbed my orange on the way out, so I could eat it while I dealt with everything I needed to.

The wheelie bin at the back was full now. I made sure it was the right way around so it would be collected, and hopped over the gate into the Eisens' garden. Hugo was running drills; I wasn't too surprised by that.

"Want to join me?" he said. "You're rushing out, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but they'll need to sort out the rest of the packing. I volunteered to do the trash run so I can escape last minute car-tetris. And I need to talk to Harper. Know if she's up?"

He didn't respond, but without shifting his pose at all launched a hard pass towards one of the upstairs windows. The ball sailed straight and banged against the shutters with a thud. Just a few seconds later the window opened and Harper's face appeared, glaring in a way that I was sure must be common to all little sisters everywhere. Hugo responded with a large beckoning gesture and pointed at me, before picking up the ball that had landed at his feet.