“First of all; it’s not selfish of you to want that. And; I do care about you, Pomona … so very much. So; I’ll never stop worrying about you.” Bellona leans in, and whispers in my ear, “Because, you are my dearest, most beloved sister. You always have been; and, you always will be.”
Bellona delivers a soft kiss on my cheek. I reciprocate, and deliver a soft kiss on her cheek; and then, whisper in her ear…
“And; you’re my dearest, most beloved sister, as well. … Thank you for taking care of me, all these years.”
**Pomona’s POV**
As soon as we enter the living room, Mom quickly jumps up from the couch, and rushes over to me. Dad, on the other hand, shows no interest in my return … no big surprise there … and remains seated in his recliner, with his nose buried in the newspaper.
Mom starts fussing over me…
“Pomona; what happened to your face? Are you okay? … Come on; let’s go over and sit on the couch, so you can rest. … By the way; have you eaten anything yet? I could reheat you some supper, if you want.”
“No thank you, that’s okay, Mom; I’m fine. You don’t need to go through the trouble … I’m not really all that hungry.”
“Silly girl; it’s no trouble at all. All I have to do is fix a plate; pop it in the microwave; and, 1, 2, 4 … voila; it’s done. … So; are you still sure you don’t want me to get you something to eat?”
“Positive. But, thanks anyway.” … It suddenly dawns on me… “Oh; yeah … Bellona; I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get some fresh Sockeye salmon for your birthday dinner. I really wanted to get some for you; because, I know how much you love eating it.”
Bellona sits down beside me, and tenderly kisses the top of my head; then, drapes her arm over my shoulders…
“True; I do love eating fresh Sockeye salmon … but; I love you way more. So; stop worrying about meaningless things like that. Like I said before, I’m just relieved and happy that you’re okay; that’s all that matters to me. … That’s the best birthday present you can ever give me.”
With his nose still buried in the newspaper … he hasn’t even once glanced up from it since we entered the living room … our father snidely remarks…
“Yes … blah, blah, blah … we all know how much the two of you care for each other … but, is it really necessary for us to hear the two of you babbling on; while Pomona whines about how sorry she is, and you act gracious about it. And; all this over some stupid fish.
I mean seriously, what difference does it make if she got the salmon, or not; she still never showed up, and ruined your birthday.”
Bellona snaps, “She didn’t ruin my birthday! Stop saying that!”
Dad snaps back at Bellona, “What are you talking about; ‘stop saying that’ … that was the first time I said it!”
Bellona growls, “Fine … just make sure that it’s the last time.”
Bellona’s the only one in our family that could get away with talking back to our father like that, without having to worry about getting smacked in the mouth for it. With her temperament … and, knowing the way she is … Dad knows that if he were to hit Bellona; she wouldn’t give a second thought, nor have no qualms about, hitting him back.
And, trust me, if that were to happen; Dad would definitely end up on the losing end of the stick. … I love Bellona to death; and, would never badmouth her under any circumstance … but, even I know that she can be one vicious wolf-bitch when provoked. … Again; I’m so glad that she’s always looking out for me.
Mom tries her best to referee…
“Enough, you two; please stop arguing. I’m sure Pomona didn’t intentionally mean not to show up; and, would have been here if she wasn’t attacked. … I know you realize that, Bellona. … And, Stephen; can’t you see that Pomona’s been hurt. Let’s try not to do anything that might upset her … okay?”
Note to self … I know that Mom’s intentions are good; but, in the future, the rest of us really need to try our best to keep her from attempting to diffuse arguments between Dad and Bellona. Truth is, her mediation skills are mediocre at best; basically at a level nowhere near capable of resolving disputes between this quarreling duo. … If anything, she’s just made matters worse.
Dad slams the newspaper down on his lap…
“‘Let’s try not to do anything that might upset her’?! … What about us, then … is it okay for her to upset us? Huh … tell me; is it? … You think it’s okay that she had us waiting for her to return, all day? Having Bellona and I wasting our time spending hours looking for her? Having us miss out on celebrating Bellona’s birthday … ruining it by…”
Bellona furiously shouts, “I told you not to say that anymore! For the last time; she didn’t ruin my birthday!!”
Dad snaps back, “Well, she ruined my day! I don’t like having to waste my valuable time on such a sorry excuse for a daughter. … Bellona, perhaps you’re willing to put up with her inconsideration for you today; but, I’m not. I find her behavior totally inexcusable; and…”
“And; I find your behavior totally inexcusable … no; make that totally reprehensible. How could you speak about any of your daughters like that?” Bellona rebukingly glares at Dad; growling, “Take back what you just said about Pomona; and, apologize to her … now!”
“Don’t you dare tell me what to do; Bellona. So what if you are one of the fiercest members of our Defensive Security Detail; remember, I’m still this pack’s Chief of Security … and, your father! … And, even though you’re more of a daughter to me than that embarrassment of a sister of yours will ever be; I won’t tolerate you speaking to me in that manner!”