Strings of Solace

Chapter 5

I wasn't sure how near a future we were talking about, but my logic was that if it wasn't too soon, I could adjust my lies and come up with some issues that forced us to delay our nuptials. After all, things like that were common enough, even among the best couples.

"Your boyfriend!" Rebecca squealed in my ear, seeming genuinely happy for me for the first time. "Why didn't you tell me you have a boyfriend? For the first time in your life, you are normal! And you didn't tell your big sis about it? Shame on you!"

"I'm sorry, Becca, but we were not sure if our relationship was going anywhere as we had been doing a long-distance thing, and after seeing each other in person again after a while, we realized that our love is as strong as ever," I said, sounding way too mushy even to my own poor ears. But I knew Becca loved stuff like that.

It was sad that a hopeless romantic such as herself ended up getting married to the person our parents chose for her, to the guy who was on her level (which meant he was wealthy and well-educated), but for whom she felt no affection of any kind whatsoever.

"Aww, that's so cute," Becca said, completely forgetting that she was trying to manipulate me into doing her bidding. "Who is he? Do I know him?"

Having averted the crisis of visiting her and babysitting four spoiled children for way too long, I was ready to go on with my story, although my head felt like it would fall off my shoulders from the pain at any moment. After all, talking endlessly with her was a lesser evil than going to her house, where she would always take control over me and, in a way, erase who I was to turn me into her perfect nanny and housekeeper. Anything but a loved sister.

"I'm not sure if you know him, but we went to high school together," I said vaguely, not sure how much I was supposed to share, but wanting to give her all the information to avoid her thinking I was lying, causing her to insist I go to her house.

"Is it that guy you were crazy in love with but refused to tell him anything about it?" Becca asked excitedly.

After all, gossip was her middle name.

"No, he was a guy I considered a good friend but didn't have any romantic feelings for," I said cautiously, as I wasn't sure how much truth I should share and where I should paint a pretty picture of lies. "But after high school, I started having feelings for him, things developed, and we started dating. Soon after, he got a job abroad, so we stayed together but in a long-distance relationship because I didn't want to leave my family behind."

"Aww, friends to lovers trope... Nice," Becca said, getting lost in her world of soap operas and TV drama, she always lived in. "I always had you pegged for a bad boy trope, but this is much cuter."

How she could take care of her kids effectively or do her job with a brain so easily lost in daydreams was beyond me, but this was to my advantage. I sidetracked her from her original train of thought, to my relief.

I never had issues visiting their house because I loved her children, even though they were spoiled rotten. However, she did nothing to make things easy for me. Instead, she purposefully made things difficult for me, making staying with them utterly exhausting.

I always had to take the bus from our hometown to the nearest airport, then go to her country's capital city by plane, take the train from there to the small town she lived in, and then, when I arrived, immediately take over all the responsibilities for her children. It was stressful, to say the least, and she still didn't care but expected me to do what I was told.

"So, is he handsome?" Becca asked, clearly not even nearly done with the questioning. "Does he have piles of money to shower you with? Does he have a Master's degree?"

At this rate, I was in danger of staying in the conversation with her forever, so I used my landline to save myself, happy that I didn't have it disconnected like everyone else did, and started dialing my cellphone.

"I think he is quite handsome, but I don't know what other people would think of him," I started saying, buying some time until I finished dialing my number.

My cellphone started beeping, to my relief, giving me the perfect excuse to finish the tiring call.

"Oh, Becca, he is calling right now! I need to take this. He wants to take me out, so he is probably calling to talk about our plans," I said hurriedly, like someone looking forward to a call from a loved one.

"Oh, sure, sure! You go, girl!" Becca said way too enthusiastically. "Speak to you soon, and you'd better bring me some good news!"

As I ended the call, I couldn't help but think about Becca's odd nature. She was such a contradiction that I could never figure her out. This was the first time she sounded genuinely happy for me, and it was all a lie.

What did that say about the two of us? About our sisterly bond?