Chapter Three - Letter Two

May 6th, 2017

"The largest brewed coffee you've got. Make it strong. No sugar." The woman at the counter had her face buried in the huge black bag she was trying to fish out money the three dollars Wilder had asked of her, but her tattoo covered arms were visible to him, and were enough for him to judge her. There was, as far as he could figure, a gigantic dragon, a yin-yang sign, and a few incomprehensible items etched onto her dark arm that suggested some Tao influence. Or maybe she was just a hippie. Who was he to judge?

Then she lifted her head to reveal a well kept mane of dark hair adorning a sharp nose and large brown eyes that seemed to be locked in a frown. And then he watched the well masked face lose its collected demeanour as her eyebrows shot up in realisation, eyes swam in affection for a split second before contorting into utter rage until her strong features finally twisted into spite. And a spiteful Cassiopeia had always been the most dangerous one.

"Hmm..." She muttered, seizing him up as she handed him 5 dollars, "Keep the change. You clearly need it." And moved to collect her drink before he could reply or even count her change.

"A strong brewed coffee,no sugar." He yelled feebly, taken over by self pity which he tried so hard to hate.

Katelyn walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. She's just being an a*s. Don't fret."

He smiled the brightest smile he could muster before pointing out that customers were waiting, to which she replied, "You are my main priority right now. Let them wait. Our shift's over in, like, ten minutes anyway."

He nodded and thanked her. Then he turned to the old lady in front of him and smiled at her in another sickly attempt to hide the pain, and continued the cycle for the next ten minutes till his shift finally ended.

When he and Katelyn finally began to move out of the store, Chad came up to him and asked him for the extra two dollars his ex had handed him, saying he needed them more than Wilder. As if he could be insulted further.

As a Friday ritual, he walked Kat home and then proceeded down the grassy sidewalk to his own dingy house. As he did, he pulled out the second letter from his pocket which he did not get a chance to open in school that day.

July, 2015

Dear Adelaide,

Thank you for your reply.

If Adelaide had replied, why was the letter in his hands? And in the 'Dear Reader' letter, hadn't Gemini said that she didn't mail the letters to her sister?

I really appreciate the strings of love you posted for furthering my interests.

Still sarcastic, still unsure.

I understand you had your own reasons for running away, but you haven't actually told me the reason, so I can't really judge whether they are legit or not.

As much as Wilder wanted to, he just couldn't fault this girl's logic, especially as he often used it too.

Look, I'll try my level best to be civil to you, and maybe one we'll even have that sisterly bond them Emily and Susan had on that 10 o'clock show, but not today, okay?

Trust took time. Gemini knew this, and so did Wilder.

You asked me about Mum and Dad and their relationship. Lemme enlighten you.

They loved each other.

That's it. So in love. Three syllables to sum it up.

And she loved you. She loved you so much - more than she could ever have loved me. Sometimes it seemed to me like she had a certain predefined amount of love in her heart and she poured it all over you. And then you left, and her heart was empty, so she had to conjure up love to give her younger daughter, but it never came from the heart.

If this really was Gemini's life, it was really messed up. It was sad. But it would be even sadder if she was saying this only to make her sister feel bad. Wilder had always hated that part of the story when the victim turned into the villain.

I still remember how she clutched that tiny piece of ginger hair every year on 31st of January, your birthday, and how her body jerked and trembled with tears. How do I know it was your birthday? Because she always marked it on her calendars and planners and whatnot every year - 'My Daughter's (insert age) birthday.' Never marked mine.

It must've made her feel very unwanted. That was siblings - they always consumed the love you deserved.

And Dad loved her. He surprised her with bouquets of roses and French Chocolates, and randomly put on 'Beauty is You' on his phone and escort her to dance, recreating their wedding day.

Beauty is you was a beautiful old song - one of the only ones Wilder listened to on a regular basis. It was a belief that all fans held. Only two people very in love danced to that song, and if her parents did, they must've been so in love. The two lines he had sung for Cassiopeia came to his head -

"How will I ever live without you?

How will I ever smile without you?

Baby you don't know it yet, do you?

That dahlin', beauty is you."

The lyrics weren't much, but it was the soulful singing and the simple, loving piano that made all the difference.

When they looked into each other's eyes there was only her green and his teal in the world. Like they were sailing alone in the ocean, not a care in the world, and were content. I'd sit on the kitchen slab and watch the food burn on the stove, call out their names, bet they really must have been teleported to the ocean, because they didn't really react. The waves must've deafened them. And when they'd finally break out of the trance, she'd cast me a long, dirty look over her shoulder, as though I'd ruined not only her wedding but also her life, and set out to repair the food.

Gemini must've hated that woman.

Dad was a little more calm. When I cried after she yelled at me for letting the cookies burn when I didn't even know there was something in the oven and she had been day-dreaming of the present she'd give you for your birthday, Dad came to me and calmed me down and then finally suggested I learned how to operate the oven and the stove and become a little more aware of my surroundings. I was six then.

Two years later, the responsibility to feed the whole family was on me because mum got very ill and had to be hospitalised.

She must've been mentally sick if she treated her daughter such. She was certainly disabled. Incapable of loving.

I know I'll sound really mean, but I liked her better when she was sick. She was kind to me. She didn't treat me like I was a burden and told me stories of your childhood and encourage me to write stories of my own. Apparently you had wanted to be a writer.

It seemed as though her whole life revolved around a sister the girl hadn't even met yet.

But she was kinder, nicer and generally a better person.

IT was one of the social norms. Don't insult a sick person. No matter how mean, grumpy, or downright evil a person was, suddenly they turned into angels when they died. She was certainly respecting them.

Dad, well, he didn't like the new mom too much. He got really moody, and anger issued plagued his rational thinking in a way it could only plague a Scorpio. He'd throw stuff about. HE'd yell at everyone. And even Mom thought he'd hurt her. What a thought!

He didn't know why, but the cancelled sentence worried Wilder more than it should have. Maybe it was a gut feeling, or his own experience speaking, but it worried him.

Eight years later, she was buried in a brown coffin on an uncharacteristically rainy May day. Her last wish? That I wrote to you. Dad was against the idea of us communicating conversing, and Mum didn't know your telephone number,

Wilder was wondering why she hadn't called.

so she gave me your postal address from a letter you had once apparently sent her after running away, and told me to do it the old way. Write letters.

Were they always like this? So, so... I just can't describe it! It's like the word's right here, on the tip of my tongue, but I just can't get it out. Just so frustrating.

I genuinely believe we can be sisters - sisters who love each other - but that we can't be until we both trust each other.

They just couldn't make peace with each other, could they? They both certainly needed it. The just didn't understand each other. They just couldn't make peace with the fact what Wren wasn't the perfect girl they had thought she was!

No. Wilder had thought too much. He had thought too much and he really didn't need to be reminded of that night. Not today.

We have our own reasons for being skeptical but I think we should try to move past them. You're an Aquarian, you should understand, of all people. Besides, aren't Gemini - Aquarius relationships always the best (Pun totally intended)?

He laughed. It was the worst joke anyone could have cracked, but he laughed. MAybe laughter was all he needed. With a dysfunctional family, a lonely house, an income that could barely support him, several emotional and mental issues he sported, and a spiteful ex who seemed to run into him at every possible occasion, maybe laughter was all he needed. Maybe he laughed because he had no words to say. But he laughed.

I really hope that one day we'll be loving sisters.

Love,

Gem.

Author's Note

Music for the chapter - 'Daddy Issues' by The Neighborhood.

It may not make sense, but later in the story, it will. As always, thanks for reading, loves!!

Love,
Vasilees.

Reviews

[Soumya Deouskar]

Interesting! Still, there's so much to find out about Adelaide and Gemini and their family!
Great work,Vasilees! Next chapter coming soon,isn't it?
Just so you know, Wilder is my favourite. At sea, so like me!

[Vasilees Sybissyl]

Thank you so much! Yes, Wilder is pretty awesome