SHE’D BEEN OLD ENOUGH TO HELP. just fifteen, angelica had begged desperately to be allowed in, but the midwife had deemed her too “delicate” for the business of birth. thus, angelica sat in a chair outside, blue eyes watching her father travel back & forth, the younger boys traipsing behind him in an effort to emulate his behavior. she found herself mimicking someone else entirely – her mother. the way she sat in church, back straight, hands folded on her lap ( not fidgeting, like normal ). angelica attempted to recreate the look that she often described as regal benevolence, chin lifted – but the sounds beyond the door provoked a break, as an infant’s cries filled the room. her father’s reaction was immediate, racing to the door with a tentative smile on his face –
he was stopped there by the midwife, who looked almost solemn. beside her, she felt philip rise from his seat & she too started to get up, grabbing at his hand for some support. a few words were spoken, & angelica knew the moment her father turned, his face ashen, despair written into his every feature. he looked as if he were going to fall over, & alexander jr. made a move to place a hand on their father’s arm, looking helplessly at his elder siblings. even the little ones had stopped their play, recognizing something was terribly wrong.
the words – four of them, total, none of them over three syllables, yet strong enough to demolish her entire world, were spoken with the preface that they had A NEW LITTLE SISTER. angelica found herself suddenly angry at this tiny, destructive stranger. who was she, to take the life of the sweetest, gentlest soul the world had ever known ?? this was not a s i s t e r , but some awful joke played by God.
but no one made a move into the room, nor toward the midwife who held a screaming bundle in her arms. her father had all but wilted into a chair, not seeming to hear it at all.
it was angelica who stepped forward, taking the thing that had taken her whole world upon her entrance into it. she was determined to hate this little sister. she was determined to regard her with contempt. she was determined to find her unremarkable on all accounts, & yet – angelica was the first to speak, her voice but a whisper as she looked down upon this creature with an almost maternal gaze, shoulders set with a new sort of determination ( she was now to be the woman of the house, after all ).
❝ WE’LL CALL HER ELIZA. ❞
her father simply nodded. later on that night, she would weep. she would sob into her sheets, she would soak pillow after pillow with tears – but at the moment, she had work to do.
gummygunk
dededos
snowghoul
tangentwithtanner
origamiaround
2087
stormborns
