Jail Time
"You're smiling," Derek paused in his tirade. Lately, he wasn't as into yelling at her as he used to be.
She didn't answer, she just continued to stare into space as she always did.
"Luwanda!"
"Anything else?" she asked in a dull tone. He could tell it was an act suddenly. No one smiled like that and then turned around and spoke that way. Suddenly wanting answers more than another yelling session, he asked his real questions.
"Why do you come here every week, Luwanda?"
"It's my penance," she said as her alarm beeped. She stood up to leave.
"Wait! Penance for what?"
"Because I couldn't save you," she answered unhelpfully.
"Save me? What the hell are you talking about? You didn't save me-"
"That's right. See you next week."
"No. You're going to explain yourself for once. I wanna know what you couldn't save me from!" He took a chair and planted it in her path to the door.
"I couldn't save you from jail," she said in annoyance, sitting down in the chair provided. "I knew about the embezzlement, everyone did. I didn't care because it wasn't my problem. I was happy. I was out doing what I wanted to do, being who I was meant to be. And then you had to get greedy and make it my problem. If I'd gone to jail, the Board would have called for you next and no Jenkins would have been running the company. That's what's important, the company. Your parents made that clear to me when they tried to get me to take the fall for you as I was born to do. So I did what was necessary to save the company. I let you go down for your crime and took over. But I was supposed to go down for your crime, so, as penance, I come here every week and let you vent at me. It seems to make you a better prisoner. So… Now you know." She stood up from the chair and smiled a sad smile at him.
"You are completely crazy," Derek said, wondering at the level of manipulation his little sister was capable of.
"That's never been in dispute," Wanda shrugged. "This week's time is up, Derek. Goodbye." He watched as his little sister left. He never thought she would have put so much thought into his imprisonment. He figured she hadn't given it a second thought when she'd locked him away. Now he knew that she'd given it a great deal of thought. He had much to think on before next week.