Sisterly Love

Sisterly Love

“You got a package for me?!”

My six year old brother stood wide-eyed, a shocked look on his little freckled face. He was such a pain in the you know what. He was always into my things, writing in my homework, telling mom and dad on me - even if I hadn’t done anything. One day he made me so mad, I felt like hitting him. Slamming the door, I left the house, just to get away quickly. When I got to the Village, I slowed my pace. Window shopping always calmed me down. Seeing the lamps, antique dolls, pretty clothes…….it all took me away to a world of fancy and wonder. A world that was only in books and movies. 

Then, when I saw it in the window of the toy store, I stared. It was the perfect birthday gift, but I was still a little bit mad. It was red, it was old and it really worked. The tires really rolled and if you pushed a little button the siren really wailed. If it had belonged to a little kid, that little kid couldn’t have played with it much. It looked absolutely brand new. I stepped into the antique store and asked the lady at the counter how much the red fire engine in the window cost. She told me the price. I really had to think about this. Spending all that money on the kid that just practically chased me out of my house.

~~~~~

“Excuse me, ma’am. Here is my bank card. Can you please tell me how much is in my account?’

“Well, hello, young lady. I certainly can. You have $150.00. You’ve been doing a lot of baby-sitting, or is it chores at home that you do? Whatever it is, you are certainly a good worker. Now, is there anything else, or did you just want to know your bank balance?”

“I would like to make a withdrawal please. $25.00.”

“That’s an awful lot of money for a young lady. Make sure you put it away and zip up your purse. You must have a lovely purchase in mind.”

“Yes ma’am. It’s my little brother’s birthday tomorrow and I’ve finally found the gift I want him to have. He’s real mean to me sometimes, but he is my little brother and I just know he’ll love what I have picked out for him.”

~~~~~

When I look back over the years to that day, I remember the hard cold bench that I sat on outside of the bank. I didn’t know if I could I buy Frankie even a lollipop for his birthday! At the time I knew that I could always turn around and put the money back. Frankie would have never known about the fire engine. I would still be keeping it a secret from him and from everyone else. When the bench got too hard and too cold, I made my decision. Frankie would get the fire engine.

“I always think loyalty’s such a tiresome virtue.”

~ Agatha Christie, Peril as End House

Author's Note: Edited February 05, 2024