Canceled Plans by Maria Fuentes

Canceled Plans

By Maria Fuentes

 

It was late afternoon when Saul was on the phone speaking with friends that he hadn’t seen in a while. His sister Maria arrived home from school as he got off the phone and began getting ready to go out. He was going to meet his friends at 7:00pm that night.

When his sister went up to his room, he was excited as a little boy in a candy store to tell her his plans for that night. “Hey guess what,” he said with a smile wide as a bus, “I’m going to the movies with my friends.”

He thought his sister would have been happy for him, but he was wrong. To his surprise, he noticed that his sister was steaming in fury because she was red as a tomato and her hands were shaking convulsively. “What do you mean you are going with your friends!”

“My friends and I made plans to meet up tonight since the last time I saw them was like a month ago.” He was confused and didn’t know why his sister looked angry.

“Do you remember what we decided yesterday?” she asked, sounding like a mother getting her son in trouble.

“No. I just remember us talking about going to the movies, but it wasn’t a for sure we were going.” He was getting angry as well with all these unclear things his sister was saying. His frustration was noticeable because he just kept tightening his hands trying not to get mad.

“Yes! We did make it a for sure! Remember I told you that I would cancel my plans with my friends to go to the movies with you.”

“Well I don’t remember that. I’m still going out with my friends. Maybe next time I’ll take you.”

“You know what, have fun with your friends!” she screamed and walked away stomping like an elephant.

Saul was surprised at his sister’s response. He couldn’t understand why she was acting like a mad person. Still not knowing what the argument was about, he went back to getting ready for the night. The problem was that he couldn’t stop thinking about his sister and the way the argument ended. “Why is she blowing this out of proportion?” he thought. “Why can’t she just get over it? She’s always trying to make me feel bad, but this time it won’t happen.”

“Bye!” he said to his sister in a sarcastic tone.

“Whatever, just leave already!” she said, almost in tears.

Saul was having fun with his friends when he suddenly realized why his sister was annoying him with the cancelation of their plans. He had noticed that ever since he entered college and started working, things were not the same. He and his sister hadn’t spent time together as they would normally do.

"Where are you going?" asked his friend.

"Home,” he said. “I have some business I have to deal with."

By the time he arrived though, his sister was asleep.

The next day, he greeted her with energy and happiness, “Good morning sister!” 

His sister did not reply and anything he said to her didn’t get a reply.

All day she ignored him and any time he would get near her she would walk away in a hurry.

By the time it was 6:00pm, Saul decided he was done with his sister’s childish behavior and he spoke to her like he was the boss. “We need to stop this,” he said. “It has gotten out of control and this isn’t us. I know now why you are angry and I can acknowledge that I was wrong.”

“Well,” she said, striking a pose that said she knew she was right all along, “I’m glad.”

“Let’s just go to In-N-Out,” he said, “and hang out.”

They both got in the mustang and drove away.