Splintered

“So, where would like to go for dinner?” I asked as we exited the building together.

She brought her free hand and tapped a finger against her chin, then answered “There’s a rather quaint restaurant down the street I know of, shall we try there?”

“Sounds good to me.” We turned the corner at the end of the block and towards the restaurant, still holding each other’s arms. This is something I could get used to!

After a minute of content walking I check the time on my watch, it's getting late and the sun will be setting in a few minutes. She must have taken this as a sign that I was losing interest because she broke the silence by leaning against me and clearing her throat to get my attention. I looked down at her next to me...

“So, tell me about yourself.” she said nervously, but looking up at me with curiosity in her eyes.

“I… I don’t know where to start.” I said sheepishly, not knowing exactly what normal people talked about.

“Well, when I say ‘fun’ what’s the first thing you think of?” she asked.

“Um… happiness? Joy and laughter? I’m not sure.” I stated awkwardly. “How about you? What do you think of?”

“I think of being with the ones I love.” She told me without batting an eye.

“And who might that be?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“My friends, my sister… my parents.” She stated cautiously.

‘is she hinting towards something?’

Shut up.

“Really?” I said, buying a second for me to recollect my thoughts and come up with a response. “Well, tell me about your friends.” I demanded playfully.

“Oh, there’s not much to tell. Just the rag tag group you’d expect to find at the local delinquent department.” She joked.

“Ok, then. What about your sister?” I asked with a small chuckle.

“Ah ah! You still have to tell me about your friends.” She tsked.

“I don’t have any friends. All I have are acquaintances. And sometimes those acquaintances aren’t good to be around.” I told her solemnly. I saw her face visibly drop and she lost some of her radiance. “But enough about me, tell me about your sister.” I said cheerily, which rubbed off on her a little.

“Oh, she’s the best sister one could have! She never forgot a birthday, always looked out for me, she even lets me help with the family company! She really is great.” The smile only grew as she talked about this woman she adored so.

“That’s great! She sounds like a nice woman. I can’t wait to meet her.”

“I bet. But don’t get any ideas, she’s got a guy friend that would kick your ass.” She gave me a playful look. “Not to mention I’m the one you’re with right now.” Her arm tightened around mine.

“True, true.” I stated wistfully.

“Well, if you like the sound of her, my parents will really blow your mind.” I tightened visibly to that.

“Oh, really.” I said with a slightly more strained smile on my face.

“yeah.” she said, apparently oblivious to my uncomfortableness to the situation. “They started with nothing, but ended with everything. They were born into poor families and married with nothing more than the shirt on their back.” Her expression was nostalgia at the time, like she was thinking back to the good ole days. “They started a small business and worked their way up. Now they run one of the largest and most powerful companies in New York.” She said.

“They sound like great people.” I said still uncomfortable, but less so.

“Are you ok?” she asked, only now noticing my sudden change in demeanor.

“Yeah, fine.” I said, rubbing the back of my head with my free hand.

“Yeah, it’s hard to be born into power.” she seemed to have a realization. The clues were barely noticeable, but clear enough for me to notice. “Maybe if you talk about them…” she trailed off, wanting me to finish what she started.

“They were saints!” I lied blatantly. “They gave me candy when I wanted it, I was treated to the best toys a kid could ask for, and the stuff I got to do!” I feigned excitement, the sarcasm thick in my voice, and kept an eye on her.

What I saw was confusing, to say the least. In her eyes I saw a mixture of fear, curiosity, and confusion… and was that… anger? But why would she feel these things? Unless…

‘Called it!’

Didn’t I tell you to shut up?

‘Technically, no.’

Then let me tell all of you: SHUT UP!

‘Ok, chief!’

There was a minute of silence. She seemed to be debating what to say next when I broke the silence.

“Um-” she flinched. She honest to god flinched. I felt the knife sink into my chest as the realization of what I had just done. This stopped my talking immediately, as a side product of the blade sinking into my ribcage. “I’m sorry, I-”

“No, I’m sorry.” She cut me off. “I should have been more considerate.” She said while looking at the ground, where the blood was dripping from the metaphorical stab wound.

“How were you inconsiderate?” I decided not to make her feel guiltier and head this one off. “You know what, forget I even said anything. We were talking about your parents and how they built their empire from nothing.” I prompted hopefully, wanting to salvage what was left of this train wreck.

Unfortunately, this didn’t do much to help. She was less enthusiastic and the light in her eyes… it was just… dimmed. Like someone drained the battery.

“Well, when my sister was born she was pampered and given many things she wanted. Almost never did she hear the word ‘no’ in her first twenty years of life. I came along a few years later and was neglected. I would get things for my sister and do things for her. She was the favorite while I was the forgotten. When I turned eighteen and was sent away I fell to the… bad lifestyle. I started to hate my sister and all of the praise she got. These feelings festered inside me for years, and I was finally free to let them out. She was the reason I sank to an all-time low.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know, I-” I started, knowing I had probably just ruined all chances of relationship with this woman.

“Let me finish.”

These three words shut my mouth tight.

“When I fell past rock bottom the only one to notice was my sister.” She continued. “She was the only one to see how much it all was killing me… and she had two choices. Let me stay and ruin all that mother and father had worked on, or send me away to cool off and think about it. She chose to send me to a small, isolated ranch. This ranch was occupied by an elderly couple that didn’t do much other than sit on the porch or in the living room and talk. Don’t get me wrong, I loved them to death, but it wasn’t home. Not yet. Over the next ten years I learned how to care for someone, truly. And when I came home I was a whole new person. When I came home I loved my family, no matter who got the credit.” She finished.

“That’s… terrible… I never did anything for my family and they always saw me as a burden. Is your sister still like that?” I asked, genuinely wanting to know if her home life was still that bad.

“no.” she smiled again and I let out a mental breath, knowing I could at least make it up to her… somehow. “When I met my sister at the station she was so happy to see me. We made up and I learned what had happened in my absence. The company had thrived even more under her. I can only hope to contribute half as much as she did. She was so nice and caring. I’m not sure what changed her, but I wouldn’t trade it for all those years alone.” she smiled at the fond memory; and I smiled, knowing that she was happy.

There was some content walking and when I broke the silence there was still a flinch, but it was less noticeable.

“I… think that’s great.” I said awkwardly, hoping not to upset her again.

“It is.” She said simply.

We rounded a corner and she looked up at a sign down the street.

“We’re almost there; I have reservations for two under the name Laura. Can you go find our seats while I take care of something?” she asked.

“Uh… sure, I guess.” I was surprised. I’m not sure how normal dates go, but I’m pretty sure that your date shouldn’t ‘take care’ of something right before you sit down to eat. I thought as I watched her walk across the street and into a back alley. Even less so in a place like that.

When she was out of sight I walked into the restaurant.