Matilda's older sister

|1| (Edited)

Everyone is born, but not everyone is born the same. Some will grow to be butchers or bakers, or candlestick makers and some will only be good at making Jell-O salad. But every human being is unique, for better or for worse. Most parents think their children are the most beautiful things alive.

Others are less emotional. "What a waste of time." My father said as he, my mother, and I walked out of the hospital. "$9.25 for a bar of soap!" He complained and I rolled my eyes. "I had to take a shower." My mother responded in defense. "$5,000! I'm not paying it! What are they gonna do? Repossess the kid!" My father complained, setting my new little sister in the back of the car then closed the trunk. 

My brother Mike was playing with some stupid toy. I reopened the door and climbed in the back and held my sister before we took off. My father isn't the best driver, but I got used to it. "There's no way out." He said. "Make a U-turn." 

"Harry!" My mother yelled when my father took a sharp turn. Harry and Zinnia Wormwood, my sad excuse for parents. We lived in a very nice neighborhood, but they were not nice people. "Get out of the street, you dodos!" My father yelled at some kids who were playing in the street. My parents and younger brother were so 'busy', they forgot they had another daughter.

If they had paid her any attention, they'd have seen she was special she is.

I was in my room finishing some online school when I heard my mother in the kitchen. "Oh, my gosh! Matilda! Now, look what you did! You're supposed to eat the spinach!" I walked in to see my mom set my sister in. The. Sink. "Babies... You're better off raising tomatoes! Melody clean her up." And clean her up I did. I put her to bed, read her stories, and sang her lullabies when she was scared or had a nightmare. 

At two, Matilda had already learned how to take care of herself, with my help of course. As time went by, she developed a sense of style. Every morning, my brother went to public school. My father went to work, selling used cars for unfair prices. My mother took off to play Bingo. "Soup's on the stove... heat it up if you get hungry." She told me. Yeah, no. Ew. We were left alone, and that was how I liked it.

I looked at my sister. "Pancakes?" I asked. She smiled in response. We made six pancakes, three each with a lot of syrup.  She had some flour on her nose when we finished, so like a responsible sister, I wiped it off with a wet towel and she blushed. So adorable. At four, she had read every magazine in the house, even the children's books I had bought for her when she was a baby. 

One night, while I was doing some homework, my sister did the stupid thing and asked our Father for something she desperately wanted. "A book? Why do you want a book?" He asked, disgusted by the question. "To read." She replied, innocently. "Why would you want to read, when the television is right there? You get more out of watching TV." She stood right in front of the T.V. "Get out of the way." Matilda finally figured out what I already knew, we were different from our family. 

She realized that whatever she needed or wanted, she'd have to get herself or ask me. The next morning, she asked me something. "Sissy?" I turned to look at her, "Yes?" 

"Where can I get a new book?" She asked once all my attention was on her. "Well, that would either be a bookstore, or the public library." I answered after a moment. "Can we go there? I wanna get a new book." She asked, a hopeful look on her face. "I don't see why not. I just finished my 10th grade course." I told her. A big smile bloomed on her face. 

I didn't know how to drive yet since I was only 14 and taking junior level classes. I made Matilda lunch and told her that when she finished we would go. We walked all the way to the library. "Where are the children's books?" Matilda politely asked the librarian. "In that room." She pointed to the children's section. "Would you like me to pick out one?" She asked my sister. "No, thank you. I can manage." We walked over to that section and picked out multiple books for the both of us to read together.