That silence, however, only lasted a brief moment, as my sister dramatically made her way down the stairs. Each one of her steps left the ground shaking, allowing me to feel her steps all the way from the table. For someone so small, she walks like she's 5000 pounds obese.
"Good morning, Dad."
"THERE IS MY LOVELY DAUGHTER LILY!"
He ran up to her and gave her a tight hug. A hug full of fatherly warmth. I tried to be indifferent, but a bitter smile found its way to my face.
I've never received that type of love before. Where's the fairness in that?!
My sister approached the table and stared at the cake I was eating. There was a devilish glint shining in her eyes. Before she could even do anything
"The cake is in the fridge. Get your own. Do. Not. Touch. Mine."
Lily crossed her arms, looking at me wth an annoyed pout on her face.
"Sheeesh, you're so rude. What kind of brother doesn't share with his sister? You're the older brother! It's your job!"
"It's okay, there's a lot. I'll go get some for you."
My Dad patted my pouting sister's head. Truly the epitome of a doting father. He then kissed her on the cheek and hurriedly made his way to the fridge. He grabbed another piece of cake and offered it to my sister.
"Here you go, my lovely daughter."
That line would probably sound a lot more cheesy if it weren't backed by a heavy immigrant accent. Before my sister could even take a bite, the cake was snatched away. Without even needing to look up, I already knew who did it.
My Mom was standing there, sister's cake in hand, wearing a nasty scowl on her face that made her look slightly demonic.
"How many times do I have to tell you? You can't eat this! If you do, you'll gain weight!"
My sister sat there silently. She was never one to stay still, so this silence had a slight edge of foreboding to it. My Dad gazed at Lily with a hint of sadness in his eyes. He hesitantly reached out his hand, but shook his head and brought it back to his lap. A loud sigh escaped him, but it was drowned out by the sound of Lily slamming her hand on the table.
"IF I CAN'T EAT IT, THEN WHY DID YOU EVEN BUY IT?!!"
My Mom's scowl turned into a fierce glare.
"This isn't for you, this is for my son! AND DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!"
"THEN WHY CAN HE EAT IT? AREN'T YOU AFRAID OF HIM GETTING FAT TOO!???"
"It's okay if he gets fat, he's a boy! But you're a girl! You can't be fat, you have to be pretty! But you always ignore me! I always tell you to go on a diet, BUT YOU NEVER LISTEN!"
They started screaming at the top of their lungs at this point. I was afraid the neighbors would notice and call child protective services again. But there's nothing I can do about that. I simply sat quietly and ate my cake, as if nothing was happening.
"I'M SICK OF THIS!"
An ear-piercing sound brought me back to reality. I looked up and saw the plate of cake had shattered on the floor, tears streaming down my sister's face. Her face had gone completely red with rage. My Mom scoffed.
"What are you crying for? There's nothing to cry about. I'm just trying to help you!"
"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP. I'LL NEVER BECOME SOMEONE LIKE YOU. I'D RATHER DIE!"
My Mom suddenly froze, her dark eyes taking on a shade of black resembling the void itself. Tears slowly began to form in her eyes, but she prevented them from falling. She clenched her teeth together as if forcing herself to utter the words she was about to say next.
"I- if you want to d-die so badly… THEN JUST DIE!"
Before my sister could say anything back, my Mother went into the kitchen and grabbed one of her innumerable bottles of medication. She turned around and glared at my sister, her hand gripping the bottle so tight that a cracking sound could be heard.
My Mother stomped her way towards my sister, a single tear made its way down her face. Lily's body froze, slowly realizing what my Mother was about to do. I could taste a hint of fear in the sweetness of my cake. My Mother's hand shot towards Lil's face, grabbing her by the mouth, and pried it open.
"I-IF YOU WANT TO DIE SO BAD, THEN HURRY UP A-AND DIE!"
My Mother opened the bottle and shoved it down Lily's throat. Before any of the pills could escape the container, my sister knocked the bottle away from my Mother's hand. Spilling what was left of the container on the floor. Lily stared at my Mother, her whole body trembling.
"D-Did you j-just…"
Lily slowly brought her hands to her mouth and covered it.
"g… GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!"
My sister pushed Mother aside, grabbed her bag, and ran out of the house. The ground shook when she slammed the door shut. An uncomfortable silence crept its way into the room. I took a peek at my Dad, but he just had his head hung low, shaking his head. Meanwhile, my Mom was standing there completely still, staring absently at the spot on the floor where my sister had just stood. I went to take another bite of my cake, but noticed that it was finished. I stared at the empty plate, a little unsatisfied.
"..."
This cake wasn't sweet at all.