"BABY SISTER IS THAT YOU?!"

Olga's voice might as well have been a heavy bombardment to Helga's ears, the shrilling screams of incoming artillery. She'd appeared in the hallway.

"Yep Olga, it sure is." Helga bitingly remarked back with a faux excitement that would be obvious to anyone a mile away, except if your name was Olga Pataki.

"Oh Helga, you're such a little silly! Now come over here and give your big sis a big smooch!"

Helga walked forward like a zombie into Olga's embrace, not putting up any kind of fight or showing emotion as Olga kissed her on the forehead.

"What's going on?" Robert "Big Bob" Pataki said with a blank face as he marched out into the hallway, accompanied by Miriam holding a glass with both hands. "Oh good, the girl's home." He muttered. "Now we can eat! What have you made this time, Olga?"

"Well I've made a full-course Mediterranean dinner and a chocolate souffle for desert!" Olga replied in her usual upbeat tone.

"Sounds great Olga!" Bob laughed.

"And so I was given a standing ovation at my final concerto on campus with roses at my feet before taking a bow and waving to my adoring fans." Olga smiled with a dramatic tone of voice.

"Going out like a winner! Just as you should!" Big Bob clapped.

"After that I was named Bennington Humanitarian of the Year for my extended work with the local orphanages by giving the little orphans lavish entertainment and finely-cooked meals." Olga continued.

"And of course you got all A's again!" Miriam slurred. "Oh Olga, I'm so proud of you dear! It's so good to have you home! "

"It sure is!" Bob lauded. "Especially with the delicious food you've just made. I can get used to this!"

Helga grumbled something into her food.

"So baby sister, how's your play coming along? I really can't wait to see it!" She gushed, causing Helga to grow tense.

"Just fine, Olga."

Neither Olga nor anyone else noticed the derision in Helga's voice.

"Oh I'm sure it'll be fantastic!" Olga looked up at the ceiling with a dramatic expression. "I remember the first time I was called in to provide the music for a school play. Oh it was so wonderful, it lit up the whole auditorium and made the drama so much more powerful!"

Bob and Miriam laughed as Olga continued her story while Helga just grumbled and put more food in her mouth. She hated to admit it, but her sister's cooking was good- much better than anything Miriam made.

"It's just too bad you can't be involved in the girl's play!" Bob said to Olga. "I'm sure it'd be ten times, no, a hundred times better!"

Helga, after a blank moment in thought, clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, thinking to ask to be excused, but Olga broke her out of her angry thoughts.

"Oh that reminds me, I need another ticket to Helga's play!" Her voice was getting more and more excited.

"What for honey?" Miriam asked.

"Because I met a wonderful man during my last year of college and he's coming into town! Oh I'm just so excited! I can't wait for you all to meet him at last!"

Helga swallowed hard. Her sister's voice became muffled. Great, just great, she thought with bitterness. Now in addition to Olga she'd have to deal with her newly-announced boyfriend. Remembering the episode with Doug LeSham, Helga knew that her sister's choice in men was not always good, and she dreaded the thought of having to rescue Olga once again just as she needed to spend the most time on her play. If not that...

"Who is this guy? What does he do?"

"Oh daddy...!" Olga gushed dreamily. "He's handsome and charming and he has his own business! He's so cool!"

"Well Olga honey..." Miriam slurred. "You're not...planning to get married are you...like you were with that other guy...?"

Olga laughed. "Oh no, that whole affair was silly of me and I recognize that now. Our relationship is evolving naturally. Now it's time for him to meet you all. I'm just so happy!" Tears of joy began to well up in her eyes, while Helga rolled her own. "And what better way than for an introduction than my baby sister's play?" Olga asked joyfully and hugged Helga.

Helga moped.

"Well I'm sure it'll all be exciting!" Miriam said slowly.

"Yeah, so when's he supposed to get here?" Bob asked.

"On the day of Helga's play!" Olga answered cheerfully. "Now he gets to see you all and my baby sister on the stage! Isn't it fantastic?!"

Helga banged her head into the table and didn't care to say another word. Nobody noticed.