In recent days, I witnessed my sister chase after and try to woo Dario. Often, I would just shake my head, and sometimes I didn’t even want to witness it. Are you familiar with secondhand embarrassment? It’s that feeling when you didn’t do something embarrassing, but you still feel the embarrassment. That’s how I felt when I watched Sienna’s attention-seeking antics with Dario.
One day, I found my sister sitting on the sofa when I came home from work. I had just returned, and she was the only one here. Earlier, before I left, she was still pestering Dario.
I approached her and saw that she had a dejected expression. I became concerned for my sister, so I quickly sat beside her.
Despite everything she was doing, I still didn’t like seeing Sienna sad. It felt like her sadness was affecting me as well.
“I’ve been pursuing Dario for a while now, but it’s still not working. I feel like he’s only talking to me because I’m your sister. Maybe he thinks I haven’t noticed that he’s trying to avoid me.” Sienna looked at me and gave a melancholic smile. “I rarely develop a liking like this, and it’s not going well.”
Sienna held my hand. At first, I thought she was going to beg for my help, but she didn’t.
“Anyway, I really miss you, Sis. Maybe you’re thinking that the only reason I want to live here is because I have a crush on Dario. That’s only a partial reason. It’s really you that I intentionally visit for.” She took a deep breath before lying down on me, resting her head on my shoulder. “Since you got married, I’m usually the only one left at home. I get sad because I’m not used to you not being here. You know, when I had problems before, I used to come to you directly to confide. Now… the house feels so empty without you. I miss you a lot, and that’s why I come here whenever I can.”
I fell silent after what Sienna said. The corners of my eyes welled up with tears. I missed her too, but unlike her, Gio was always with me. Sienna had only Aunt Elsie, and sometimes, she wasn’t even there. Back then, Sienna and I were often together. So, I couldn’t blame her for feeling a bit out of place.
She lifted her head and looked at me. Sienna smiled, and a tear rolled down her cheek. She took a deep breath and laughed because of her emotional state.
“But don’t get me wrong, Sis. I’m happy that you’re happy. I can see that you’re content with the life you once only dreamed of. I see how genuine your smiles are, especially when Gio is around. You’re expressive to him too. I see and observe it every time I see you two talking. That’s why I’m at ease, knowing that your life here is better than your life at home. I guess I just can’t help but miss you, Sis. After all, you’re my only sibling. Who else do I turn to when I can’t sleep at night? Who tucks me in when I’m having a hard time? I can’t do any of that anymore because when I go to your room… it’s empty.”
Sienna rested her head back on my shoulder.
“Sorry for being emotional; I guess it’s a mix of emotions because I’m heartbroken over Dario,” she chuckled. “But I just felt like I needed to tell you. I don’t know, just feeling it.”
I smiled at what my sister said and rested my head on hers. I’m really fortunate to have a sister like her.
“I love you, Sis.”
I held Sienna’s hand. “I love you too, Sienna.”
I thought life would become easier for us. I thought the trials were over. I thought we would continue to be happy, but I never expected that this was just the starting point for all the tragedies that would come into our lives.
~*~
“Thank you for allowing me to stay here. Mama is here again. I’m going home now.” Sienna approached me. She’s saying her goodbyes because she’s heading back home. “I’ll miss you, Sis! Visit us more often, okay? When you have time, I’ll be the one to visit you.”
I hugged Sienna, and I didn’t want her to leave. She had been with us for quite some time, and it felt strange now that she was leaving. I had gotten used to having my sister around, even though most of the time, she was just following Dario.
“Take care. Send my regards to Aunty, okay?” I smiled at her after breaking the hug.
Sienna looked at Dario. I noticed her eagerness to talk to him, but in the end, she chose to smile.
My sister turned to Gio. “Thank you, Gio! Sorry for the inconvenience, huh? I just really wanted to be with Sis. You take care of her now.”
“No problem, Sienna,” Gio replied formally. “Are you sure you don’t want us to drive you to your house?”
My sister shook her head immediately. We wanted to drive her, but she mentioned that her driver was already on the way to pick her up.
“No need. My driver will be here soon, oh, there he is!”
Sienna pointed to the approaching vehicle. The guard must have allowed the entry as her driver introduced himself.
As Sienna was about to leave, I noticed that her driver was different. It wasn’t Fredo, our usual driver. He was younger and unfamiliar to me.
I grabbed Sienna by the arm and whispered, “Is your driver new?”
Sienna nodded at me. “Yes, Fredo got sick, so Mom looked for a new driver for me. He’s been with us for a few months, Sis.”
I breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. I realized I might have been too paranoid about things. With Sienna telling me he had been with them for months and knowing Aunt Elsie, I was certain that she had thoroughly background-checked her new employees to ensure their safety.
I released Sienna and smiled at her. “Take care.”
My sister gave me one more affectionate smile before she left. We exchanged polite greetings with her driver before he took the wheel and drove away from our home.
I heaved another sigh when Sienna was gone. Gio placed a comforting hand on my back, and I looked up at him.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “You’ve been sighing a lot. Is something bothering you?”
I shook my head. “Not really. I’m just overthinking things.”
I glanced at Gio, inviting him to come inside with me. He nodded, and we walked in together.