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“Minute twelve.”
“No way.”
“Yes way,” he says, holding up his watch that’s more expensive than a year of my rent.
“You changed it, I bet.”
“You’ll never know.” Colin gives me a mischievous grin and starts to pull the car out of the parking lot.
I stick my tongue out at him and glance back at the shelter as he turns onto the main road. I start to glance back at the shelter, but Colin grabs my arm. “Stella… relax.”
I look back at my brother and smile gently. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that he’s the one working for a Fortune 500 company since he has to bring me back down to earth so much. I know not every day is sunshine and rainbows for him. But he’s always taken the job of being my big brother very seriously. Always protective, always loving, and not afraid to give me shit.
I’m lucky to have him.
We go to dinner at Olive Garden. It’s been a tradition since we were kids. Every accomplishment came with a trip to Olive Garden. Nowadays, an accomplishment can be as simple as making it through a Monday. Neither of us cares for the fancy schmancy dinners. He begrudgingly goes to plenty of those for work. Olive Garden is just fine for both of us.
Colin always picks up the bill. I know he’d like to pick up quite a bit more. For years now, he’s wanted me to capitalize on my biology degree by going to veterinary school, but it’s just never been the right time for me to leave the shelter. Of course, when is the right time for anything that takes that much effort?
“The shelter isn’t your life, Stella,” Colin always reminds me.
However, it has become my life. I think about these animals all the time. And I love them. The pay is shit, of course. I just can’t justify leaving them. Or maybe I’m too scared too. If I left, I’d have to think about all the parts of my life that have been left untended. My love life, my friendships, my goals and ambitions (what even are those anymore?)
After dinner, we go to a local ice cream shop and sit out on a plastic picnic table, lapping up ice cream before it melts in the blazing summer heat.
“You think we look strange together?” I ask, glancing at my brother.
Colin frowns. “No, why?”
I give him another up and down. He’s removed his suit jacket, thank God, but he’s still in his expensive slacks and dress shirt. “I don’t know, you don’t usually see capitalists and hippies hanging out like this.”
Colin laughs heartily. “Well, at the very least, people can tell we’re related. It’s the hair,” he says, pulling on a curly lock of my long hair.
“Hey!” I reach out and grab a curl on his head and yank harder.
“Woah! Easy! You don’t know your own strength…” he replies, rubbing the back of his head.
“Serves you right,” I say, licking my strawberry ice cream.
Colin shakes his head. “You’re a brat.”
“Yep. And…?”
He chuckles and we both sit, finishing our ice cream, as the sky swims with orange and pink, the sun getting lower and lower.
“Thanks for coming to visit me,” I say eventually.
“Don’t I always?”
“Yeah, but I should come up to you, probably.”
Colin shrugs. “I prefer you to stay out of the city.”
I laugh, “Yeah, I’m much safer in Jersey.”
“Better than New York.”
“Whatever, bro.”
