My thirteenth birthday arrived. When I got home from school, the house was empty and silent. I’d just picked up my phone from my room when Mom called. Her side of the line was noisy, filled with children’s voices.
“Lizzie, honey, with both you and Olivia, things are a little tight this year. Olivia’s health isn’t good, and she has a lot of doctor’s appointments, so we’re not getting
you a birthday present this year.” “I sent you some money on Venmo. Get yourself some
dinner, okay?” “We won’t be home tonight, so
don’t wait up.” I heard Olivia call out
“Mommy!” in the background. Mom hung up
before I could say anything. I checked my
く
phone and saw the Venmo notification. It was
$50. I scoffed. It wasn’t worth getting upset
over, and at least I wasn’t really thirteen.
Spending the night alone wouldn’t be so
scary. But as I made myself some ramen and
pulled out my phone to study, I saw Olivia’s Instagram post. I’d forgotten about this. My
last birthday played out exactly the same way.
Olivia had been envious of a classmate who
went to Disneyland, so my parents, without a
second thought, bought tickets and took her.
Later, Mom remembered it was my birthday
and sent me the $50. I’d assumed they were
working late and hadn’t thought much of it.
I’d waited for them to come home, and when I
saw how happy they were, I’d thrown a fit.
Olivia had cried, and Dad had forced me to
apologize to her. Snapping out of the
memory, I clicked on Olivia’s post. She was
wearing a Snow White dress, grinning at the
<
camera with a peace sign. There were
pictures of them–my family–posing in front
of the Disneyland entrance. Yes, them. Not
- me. They all looked incredibly happy. There
were even pictures of them having a fancy
meal inside the park. They’d said they
couldn’t afford a birthday present for me
because of Olivia’s medical expenses, yet
they took her to Disneyland on my birthday.
Two lifetimes, the same story. It made me
sick to my stomach.
Time flew by, and I got accepted into a
prestigious high school, finally free from
Olivia’s shadow. She didn’t make the cut. I
applied for on–campus housing and avoided
going home during holidays, taking on odd
jobs to earn my own spending money. But
summer break arrived, and I had no excuse to
stay away, so I packed my bags. It seemed
く
that in the six months I’d been gone, their
little family of four had grown even closer.
Closer than I, their own daughter, had ever been. When I arrived, the house was empty. I didn’t care. I dragged my suitcase upstairs. As I reached the second floor, I heard the melodious sound of a piano and my parents‘ voices, filled with praise. I almost kept walking, but as I approached my room, I realized the sounds were coming from inside. I gripped the doorknob and threw open the door. The four of them turned to look at me, startled. I looked around. My belongings were gone. Even my bed was missing. In the center of the room sat a grand piano, the kind I’d only ever seen on TV. It was worth a fortune, far more than the violin I’d wanted for my twelfth birthday. Olivia, in a white dress, sat at the piano, her hands still resting on the keys. My room had been transformed into
<
Olivia’s piano room. This hadn’t happened in
my past life. Maybe my non–confrontational
approach this time around had only
emboldened them. I gripped the doorknob,
fury simmering beneath my calm exterior.
“Where am I supposed to sleep?” Before my
parents could recover, Nathan spoke, his
voice dripping with sarcasm. “Lizzie, you’ve
been gone for six months. We thought you
were living somewhere else now.” “Don’t
blame Mom and Dad. You never spend any
time with us, you’re always gone. Olivia’s
piano is kind of big, it wouldn’t fit in the
guest room, so they put it in your room.”
Before I could respond, Olivia started to cry.
“Lizzie, it’s all my fault. I just really wanted to
play the piano.” “Please don’t fight because
of me. Families are supposed to get along. I
know Lizzie missed you all after being gone
so long, but if she really minds, I can leave.” “|
