The Sister Who Played the Game
And I fixed myself right into the grave trying to help my brother.
After I died, my brother’s whole family took over my house, killed my dog, and abused my
daughter!
In the dead of winter, they were chowing down on a hot pot of dog meat while forcing my six- year–old, Lily, to wash dishes in ice–cold water!
Once, when Lily snuck in a little hot water, my
sister–in–law caught her. That wicked woman
grabbed the scalding hot pot and poured it all
over Lily’s hands, which were already covered
in frostbite.
When I woke up, I saw Lily eating cake and
playing with our golden retriever, Buddy.
<
I realized, I’d been reborn on Lily’s fifth birthday!
Lily was here, the dog was here, my kidneys
were still in my body, and the house was still mino.
Unfortunately, my marriage wasn’t.
Because I was so obsessed with fixing my brother’s problems, my husband, Mike, had left
the house for me this morning and divorced me.
I wanted to reach out and hug Lily.
Just then, my mom showed up with my brother, Mark, and his wife, Tiffany.
Tiffany walked in and immediately grabbed a huge piece of cake, stuffing it in her mouth.
My mom didn’t even say “Happy Birthday” to
<
2:55
Lily. She went straight for me.
87 ร87
“Did you finish the transfer of the house deed?
Give it to me, I’ll keep it safe!”
I scoffed.
Last time around, I’d called my mom to tell her I
was getting divorced.
They’d strolled in exactly like this, with big
smiles on their faces.
Because they had their eyes on my house!
Well, yeah, she’d tried to take my kidney, so
why not the house?
Last time, even though she knew I had a heart
condition and shouldn’t be donating a kidney,
she still guilt–tripped me into surgery.
After the surgery, Mark survived, thanks to my
<
2:55
kidney, while I died on the operating table.
Looking at my mom’s greedy face made me feel sick to my stomach.
“Mom, I’m getting my coffee shop renovated, and I just took out a loan using the house as
collateral.”
“What?!” My mom jumped, her face red and jowly. “Are you crazy? How could you do that without talking to me first?”
Mark, who was petting Buddy’s chunky leg,
chimed in helpfully.
“Yeah, sis, you can’t just take out a loan like
that on your own!”
87
I laughed. “Why can’t I? I didn’t ask you when I
got divorced, and you didn’t have anything to
say, so why does a loan bother you?”
vy mom pone a unger at my, string,
“What was wrong with getting divorced? Mike
was a total loser! It’s for the best, now you can find someone rich! But you can’t go using the house as collateral like that! That’s a great
school district! I wanted you to switch houses
with your brother!”
My nephew, Kevin, who’s Mark’s kid,
He’s the same age as Lily, just three days older.
I stared at my mom, cold as ice. “Mom, Kevin
and Lily are the same age. If I switch houses with Mark, what happens to Lily’s school?”
My mom had an answer for everything. “Lily’s a girl, she can go to any school. She doesn’t need
a fancy school like this!”
Was it just about the school?
Last time, I gave my mom the deed and agreed
<
to switch houses.
87
But after I transferred the title to my brother, he refused to transfer their house to me.
Thinking about the past, I threw my hands up in the air. “It’s too late, Mom. The house is
already tied up. There’s no way to get it back.”
My mom was shaking with rage. “You go to the bank tomorrow and cancel that loan!”
I knew that’s how she’d react.
“I can do that, but you’ll still have to pay the
interest. It’s gonna be like, ten thousand bucks, you got that?”
My mom acted like I’d stepped on her foot. “Where would I get that kind of money?”
My brother slapped his forehead. “Did we leave
the toaster oven on at home?”
<
2:55
The three of them ran out the door, tails
between their legs.
2
87
Just to be safe, I went to the bank the next day
and finalized the loan.
As soon as the paperwork was done, my sister-
in–law, Tiffany, called me.
She was extra sweet.
“Hey sis, Kevin’s piano class payment is due.”
Kevin has been taking piano lessons, three
sessions a week at $30 a session.
And with speech therapy and art classes, I was
spending like eight hundred bucks a month on
just him.
<
2:55
87
And that was before my mom and brother came around begging for money!
My little Lily, on the other hand, never even got
to take a ballet class.
I paused, then said, “Tiff, I don’t think that class
is very good. I saw a piano school in the Garden
Heights neighborhood the other day, and all the kids there were really good.”
It wasn’t that the class was bad.
Kevin’s fingers were like stubby carrots, and
learning the piano was a struggle. He’d never be any good.
Tiffany took the bait. “Really? You think we
should switch?”
“Yeah, the school is a little more expensive, like
fifty dollars a session, but if you pay for the
year, they offer a 10 percent discount.”
<
2:55
Tiffany did the math. “Seven grand… okay, I
guess Kevin can thank his aunt.”
Clearly, she thought I was footing the bill.
Tiffany was smart.
87
Like yesterday, when my mom and brother were yelling at me, she hadn’t said a word.
Last time, I thought she was just naturally kind.
But now I realized, it was all an act! She and my brother were playing good cop/bad cop!
When it came to being toxic, no one beat her.
Tiffany then went on, “Hey, Garden Heights is
close to Mom’s place. Why don’t we get some
BBQ for lunch? They can go ahead and order,
and we can just join them when we’re done
here.”
<
2:55
^ 87
I knew she expected me to pay for lunch, so I
readily agreed.
After hanging up, I called Mike and asked him
to do a few things for me.
Then, I drove off to pick up Tiffany and Kevin.
When we got to the piano school, Kevin played
a clumsy piece.
The teacher heaped praise on him, saying he
was a natural.
Then, she added, “You know, the teachers you
had before probably weren’t properly qualified.
It’s held him back!”
Tiffany panicked. She quickly filled out the
forms and signed Kevin up for a year.
When it came time to pay, she froze.
