My Sister Sweet

Debra pushed past me, heaved her bags on my kitchen table, and sat down in the chair I had just vacated. The tension in my shoulders ratcheted up at the sight of the bags.

“So, he left you, right?” she huffed as she pushed my tea to the side and started rummaging through one of the bags.

“No,” I said, pulling the newspaper out from under her pile. No crossword today.

My sister snorted as she began to pull bags of candy out of her sacks. Today's mix was a blend of York Peppermint Patties and Almond Joys.

“I wish you wouldn't do that here,” I said. “You know I'm allergic to chocolate.”

“You don't have kids,” she retorted, setting up her assembly line. “And you don't need to worry about gaining weight every time you get an order.”

I sighed. My sister had a surprisingly successful business making outfits for dolls using candy wrappers.

“So, when did he leave you?” she repeated.

“Two weeks ago, and he didn't leave me,” I said. “Aren't you listening? Where have you been?”

“He was a jerk, and I have a real life,” Debra snorted. “Was it for someone else?”

I paused. Another attempt to be supportive was hiding her desire to twist the sisterly knife in a bit deeper.

Debra took my silence as an opportunity to start her work. As I watched her open and flatten each wrapper, I thought of all the times since childhood she had bullied me when I was down. It was a long list.

Plus, the chocolate was making my eyes itch.

“Enough,” I said, the anger rising to my throat.

She didn't have time to snort as my door slammed in her face.

Word count: 295