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Isaac was the one born out of wedlock. He was a replica of George but with a dash of arrogance, a trait he had gotten from Father.
Tabitha, my bone of contention, was disguised as my sister. Born only two years ahead of me, she was favored by Mother and hated by Father. Father didn't pay me any attention, and I expected Mother to at least throw me a bone or something. she preferred her tiny doppelganger, Tabitha.
Tabitha didn't respect me. In her eyes, I was a tramp, loose and acting like a desperate little slut. She was a warrior queen, prideful and boastful. Men bowed to her while I did the reverse. Oh, she let me have it, alright. My frilly outfits paled to her dresses with slits to the sides. Eye candy, she called them. A tiny offering to those she felt were worthy of offering their gaze.
She was a queen. Did it bother me? Yes. I felt there was nothing wrong with how I lived my life; yet she wanted me to think I was wrong for being in touch with my feminine side. The flawed misandrist was an Amazoness. I was the lady: beautiful, pretty, quiet, and seductive. Men wanted me, and I didn't make it difficult for any of them.
My relationships always ended perfectly without anything lingering or bad feelings. In fact, I still saw some of them, and we'd have some fun. My sister wouldn't be able to boast of that.
****
I was in Maryland. As someone who had chased my academics better than I did my relationships, I would be called to speak at events and to college students. I had my own hospital, but I was barely there except for emergency cases. I was concluding my master’s and running the hospital simultaneously. I was more or less the talented one academically in the family.
Tabitha was successful in terms of hospitals, but I don't think she had ever let go of her desire to prove she could handle things on her own. Idolizing Mother could only take you so far, after all. Anyway, there I was, giving my speech. It was a three-day event, and I had been there from the first day, although I was slotted for the last day.
I wanted to get a feel for the other personalities, adopt some techniques, and make myself flawless. It was the best way to do things in my book. You learn from others and perfect yourself. A lady should appear flawless, after all. So there I was. The podium was neatly polished. Around one hundred eyes were trained on me with excitement and anticipation. The female students seemed excited to see me.
“You are doctors, paramedics, pharmacists, nurses, everything that the medical field needs to make the next breakthrough,” I started. They were already eating from my hands.
Yes. This was my power. I didn't need to force or manipulate like my mother and older sister had to. All I needed to do was speak, and they were mine. I could already hear their whispers.
“She's beautiful,” one said.
“Such feminine energy.”
“Do you think she'd want to talk to us personally after this?”
“If you have questions for me, just be sure to reach out to me after this is over, but one at a time,” I said.
The excited chatter filled me with pride. The number of eyes went from one hundred to one hundred and two. I looked around. Something wasn't right. Then I saw her: Tabitha with her arms crossed and standing at the entrance. A relaxed smile was on her face. She was dressed in a navy blue power suit and a black camisole underneath the jacket. She had her hair in a ponytail as usual. Even with the distance between us physically, it was easy to tell that she was looking down on me. Or was she? I couldn't tell.
“Psst… Helena? Is everything okay?” one of the speakers asked.
The murmurs brought my attention back to the speech. Everyone was staring and asking themselves questions.
“Sorry about that,” I apologized. “Education is an important tool for whatever you want to achieve. As medical practitioners, you have to put in triple the effort. Like I did…”
Ignore her. She's probably here to distract you or make you lose focus. Is she here with blackmail material? Or is she here to find out what it is she could use against me?
I hated how she made me unstable.
****
“Thank you all,” I said to the students who were flocking to me after the session.
I was done answering questions and taking pictures. She was still standing and watching me, so I had to hurry the students along. As they left, she approached me. I was on my guard, poised like a cobra, ready to strike and spray venom if necessary. Then I saw the strangest thing. Tabitha rubbed the back of her neck and started playing with her fingers. Tabitha was nervous. I couldn't believe it. She was looking around to make sure no one was watching.
“Hey, Helena,” she greeted with a dry chuckle.
“Hey,” I replied.
“I heard your speech. I see why you're the smartest in the family, even when you're a little imp,” she teased.
Before that moment, anything she had said would have been enough to make me ready to throw up my hands. But, for some reason, there was no malicious intent.
“Thank you?” I raised a brow suspiciously. “What is wrong with you?”
It was throwing me off. I felt like I was talking to a cheap impersonation of my sister.
