Entry 13: Olga Comes Home
Why couldn't I have been an only child?
Most parents make a somewhat decent attempt to give their kids an equal amount of attention. Not shove one to the side while showering the other with excessive affections.
Home should be seen as an escape route from school, not vice versa. I sat in class the day before my obnoxious sister was returning home for spring break. Rather than wasting her time on the history lecture, Ms. Slovak decided to waste MY time by taking a stroll down memory lane and preaching to the class about her lovely memories of teaching The Golden Child years ago.
"If we all ask nicely, Helga will ask her sister to visit us and tell us all about the exciting life she's been leading at Wellington College."
Pttss...yeah, I'll get right on that.
The only time my parents ever get along is when Ms. Mary Sunshine is around. It's as if they intentionally save their affections for her.
As I sat in the living room, watching Bob and Miriam put whatever finishing touches they felt were necessary for Ms. Perfect on the house, I heard a knock at the door.
Bob ran for it, more excited than he is when he sees his beeper commercial come on.
"She's here! She's here!"
I watched my sorry excuse for a sister standing, waiting to be greeted with an enormous hug. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. How can I say 'sorry excuse for' when I've been rambling on about how perfect she is?
Well let me ask you something bucko. What kind of a sibling makes sure to take advantage of every opportunity to show themselves off? In other words, remind their parents fifty times a day how much more they love them than they do YOU?!
After greeting Bob and Miriam, Olga came to tell me what a lovely young lady I'm turning into. Whatever floats her boat I suppose.
By the middle of the week, having listened to nothing but constant stories of her successful extra curricular activities, performances, and grades, I was ready to rip my hair out!
I couldn't even answer the phone without having to worry about it relating to her.
As I laid near the staircase, I heard the mail being dropped through the door. I had nothing better to do to pass the time than check it.
"Bill, bill, bill, hey what's this? Personal and confidential. Probably Olga's grades."
So what if I snuck a peak? Pttss...You can't tell me you've never opened a family member's letter before.
I don't expect anyway not in a similar position to understand the frustration of seeing their much more favored sibling growing more and more successful by the second.
I'll just go ahead and admit, it wasn't exactly giving myself esteem room to grow (let alone time to heal).
Bob and Miriam were never going to see me as the big shot they've always known her to be. The only snowball's chance of them seeing us equally would be to bring her DOWN a notch.
"To change the grades, or not to change the grades?"
It was the first dinner I was enjoying myself at all week, as I anxiously awaited her to finish yet another of her oh so impressive stories, so I could commence the moment of justice.
"Oh I almost forgot Olga. This letter came for you in the mail today."
"Oh goody my grades! Can you believe I've gotten straight A's since the third grade?!"
I slurped my soup with an evil grin on my face, waiting for her to see the asterisk on her list of perfect achievements.
Listening to her happily read the A's aloud, I couldn't help but laugh when I heard her quivering lips release…
"B...plus?"
Fine, I made one little 'deserving' correction on her sheet. You have no idea how good it felt. To no longer be left in her gloating shadow.
Of course, just because I destroyed her bragging rights, doesn't mean Bob and Miriam turned their attention away from her.
"I just can't stand to see her like this. B+"
"Leave her alone B, she's depressed."
"It's been a whole day. She can't just lay around the house moping like this."
"Sure she can. I do."
"Well it's not helping. I've got to find a way to snap her out of this!"
What all did he try? Oh nothing too fancy. Candy, a fancy dress, topped off by first class seats to a broadway musical. Did it work? Pttss...of course not.
What was once seen as The Golden Child continued to mope, as if the existence of the planet depended on her GPA. Sheesh.
Days went by and I was in the best mood I had been in in weeks. That is, until a certain someone felt the need to talk some sense into me.
"That was kind of an evil trick to play?"
"Yeah."
"She must be really depressed."
"Yeah?"
"I mean, she must be feeling really low and down on herself."
"So what's your point?"
"I always wanted to have a brother or sister. I always thought those relationships were kind of special."
Special? Why would I find anything about always having someone I was seen as second to special?
It didn't matter how I felt about that in the end. Football head's speech went past my desires and hit me right in the conscience.
I thought I didn't care about anything he said until I had a crazy dream with him talking some sense into me.
"You know what you have to do. You must do the right thing."
Annoyed by the fact I indeed did know what I had to do, I marched into Olga's room, turned off her annoyingly deppressing music, turned on the lights and said…
"Look here's the deal, you didn't get a B+"
After explaining the ordeal and my reasons for having done so, Ms. Perfect tells me what a terrible thing it was for me to do.
I sat there, wondering how she could have the nerve to lay the guilt trip on me after the perfect life she's led until I heard her say…
"I'm not going to tell them."
I cocked my brow while listening to her explain how sick she gets of her do gooder performances, and how grateful I should be for being ignored. If that's the case, then why does she try so hard?
I suppose just to savor the title 'I'm number one.' Wonders never cease.
