04-09-2019, 06:11 PM
Nina was snoring.
When she woke she found Bas, a natural leader of people, the youth whose body was on his bed, broken and hurt was different from those that writhed with cries of pain. Despite his painful injury, he was laughing. It was a snotty, snorting sound.
“Something funny?” she asked as she rose.
When had she fallen asleep?
“How long was I out?”
She looked around.
Somehow she got drawn in by recklessness. She should have gone home before her absence was noticed. But this didn’t feel foolish. It felt like a thing young women persisted in doing, in defiance of their parents. Every day, she woke and took care of Rena, and the others at hospital. It was good not to feel proper for once. To feel happiness, pure and genuine. Not different. Not for a moment. Nina felt she was being liked as a woman might be liked, not big sister, not superwoman.
She seldom considered how she had taken mom and dad’s place to take care of Rena throughout the years. She hadn't even questioned it. She’d done what was expected and asked of her, and had never really appreciated the truth and admiration her family had shown her. In truth, her parents, had seen in Nina enormous promise from the very start. The fact that she herself was oblivious to her own talents was a key part of her worth. She had no arrogance, no vice of ambition (for now), she was the very model of the selfless daughter.
She was brushing crumbs off her face. In truth, it was one little thing. But he noticed, or maybe it was just a guess.
Was she so transparent? So… weak to temptation? Bas held out his half of the buttery, wrapped pastry, and Nina balled up the bag to give to Rena later. Bas’s offering.
She couldn’t stop herself from grinning as Bas touched her hand gently. She had to leave but this was so comforting.
Because Rena, in her opinion, has nothing. Because Rena was the youngest of all, and felt she was in the shadow of the whole family, including Nina. By merit of being the foremost, the eldest sister, Nina was allowed some freedom by their parents. It gave her pause. Was their family, was Nina not enough for Rena? No! She’ll think no more of this…
When she woke she found Bas, a natural leader of people, the youth whose body was on his bed, broken and hurt was different from those that writhed with cries of pain. Despite his painful injury, he was laughing. It was a snotty, snorting sound.
“Something funny?” she asked as she rose.
When had she fallen asleep?
“How long was I out?”
She looked around.
Somehow she got drawn in by recklessness. She should have gone home before her absence was noticed. But this didn’t feel foolish. It felt like a thing young women persisted in doing, in defiance of their parents. Every day, she woke and took care of Rena, and the others at hospital. It was good not to feel proper for once. To feel happiness, pure and genuine. Not different. Not for a moment. Nina felt she was being liked as a woman might be liked, not big sister, not superwoman.
She seldom considered how she had taken mom and dad’s place to take care of Rena throughout the years. She hadn't even questioned it. She’d done what was expected and asked of her, and had never really appreciated the truth and admiration her family had shown her. In truth, her parents, had seen in Nina enormous promise from the very start. The fact that she herself was oblivious to her own talents was a key part of her worth. She had no arrogance, no vice of ambition (for now), she was the very model of the selfless daughter.
She was brushing crumbs off her face. In truth, it was one little thing. But he noticed, or maybe it was just a guess.
Was she so transparent? So… weak to temptation? Bas held out his half of the buttery, wrapped pastry, and Nina balled up the bag to give to Rena later. Bas’s offering.
She couldn’t stop herself from grinning as Bas touched her hand gently. She had to leave but this was so comforting.
Because Rena, in her opinion, has nothing. Because Rena was the youngest of all, and felt she was in the shadow of the whole family, including Nina. By merit of being the foremost, the eldest sister, Nina was allowed some freedom by their parents. It gave her pause. Was their family, was Nina not enough for Rena? No! She’ll think no more of this…
Nina