Page 67 of Fatkini
“But why not?”
“Because she’s a bitch, Mom!”
“Honey, she’s your sister.”
“So? How does that make her behavior more acceptable?”
“Greer just wants to help you, Zelda.”
“No, Mom. Greer just wants to be right. She doesn’t listen to anything I say. She jumps to conclusions always predicated on me being an idiot who can’t take care of myself.”
“She’s worried about you.”
“Oh, bullshit.”
“Zelda.”
“It’s true, Mom. If she was worried and really cared, she’d hear the words coming out of my mouth. Instead she dismisses everything I say as stupidity and tells me I’m a slut.”
“She didn’t.”
“Yeah, she basically did.”
My mom was silent for a moment. “So youareseeing a few guys?”
“Yes, I’m dating two men. Drew and Aithan. They’re good to me in ways Tristan never was. Greer should be happy that I’m happy. She should trust my judgment when I say I don’t want Tristan back. That he was a crap boyfriend. Instead, she told me to take what I can get ’cause men aren’t lining up outside my door, like I’m some hideous, pathetic monster who’s destined to become a crazy cat lady.”
“Oh, dear. I didn’t know she was so harsh to you.”
“Oh, Mother. You just don’t want to know that your eldest daughter treats your youngest daughter like shit.”
“Well, I still think her heart is in the right place.”
“I still don’t think she has one.”
“Zelda Claudette Gordon, don’t be mean. Greer has always tried to take care of you.”
“Greer has always tried to micromanage my life. Have you forgotten that I’m the one who went to speech therapy because she talked for me? Or that I’m the one who wasn’t allowed to dress herself until I was ten because she decided I was color blind. I’m the one who almost repeated sixth grade because Greer did all my homework because I was ‘too slow to understand the problems.’ I’m the one who didn’t get her driver’s license until I was eighteen because Greer decided I wasn’t capable of passing the driving test.”
“She thought she was doing what was best for you.”
“Mom, do you know why Greer getting married and moving to San Francisco thrilled me so much? It wasn’t because I was happy for her. I was happy for me. I finally got her out of my hair.”
Mom sighed. “Will you ever forgive your sister for trying to take care of you?”
“Not until she stops trying!”
The doorbell rang. “Hold on. Someone’s at my door.” I went down the hall and saw Aithan through the peephole. “I gotta go, Mom. Aithan is here.”
“Oh. Well, call me later, honey. I think we need to talk about this more.”
I opened the door. “Hi, I’m on the phone with my mom.”
“Okay,” he mouthed and stepped into the foyer. He’d brought me roses. Red. Fucking. Roses.
“Oh my God. Aithan brought me flowers, Mom. Tristan never did that in the two years we were together. You know what he brought me? His dirty laundry.”
“Zelda, call me later?”