Thursday, March 6, 2014

Spilt Water by Valeria Gonzalez

Spilt Water

By Valeria Gonzalez

 
She was sitting next to her sister and her sister’s boyfriend. All three were watching Rehab Addict on the DIY channel. Anayatsy could see from the corner of her eye the way Valeria and Jose were holding each other, her feet on top of his, his arm over her shoulders, and every now and then they would turn, smile, and give each other a kiss.

"Ugh," she said to herself.

Seeing them like this made the green spaghetti come up to her throat, giving her the sensation of throwing up a little. It also made her sad. It made her miss her boyfriend, and it made her wish he was here and not in Temecula. She hadn't seen him in over a week. He promised he would be there that day, but had failed her, making her angry. But in that moment, she would have forgiven him so she wouldn't have to be this third wheel.

The cuddling wouldn't stop; it was getting her very uncomfortable. Without thinking, she said, "Pass me the water, I am thirsty."

Her sister unwrapped herself from Jose and passed her the cup of water. In an instant, she had returned under his arm with a smile like a bungee cord attached to a pole. Anayatsy couldn't drink any more from so much disgust. Thinking she would actually throw up, she put the cup down on the yellow stepstool near her. Suddenly, Valeria kicked the stool, knocking the cup off of it and onto the floor.

"Well don't just sit there,” said Anayatsy, eyeballing Valeria up and down, “clean it up!" Now they would have to stop holding each other and making her feel sick.

Instead, Valeria removed Jose's arm and sat up straight, prepared to battle. "No! You put it there when you obviously knew I was using it for my feet, so it's your fault, you clean it."

"So, that doesn't matter, I wasn't the one who dropped it, it's your fault!"

"C'mon, do it,” she replied with a calm smirk, “I have a guest."

Anayatsy ignored her. Instead, she sat back and pulled the white blanket over her legs. She could feel the burning of her sister’s eyes on her face the entire time.

As Valeria stood up to get the mop she insulted Anayatsy with fury, "You are such an evil witch. You don't have to do squat when Israel is here!"

This was true; when her boyfriend was there they were glued to each other and the sofa…

"I love you," Israel had said, turning to Anayatsy as she lay against him. Her legs were next to his on the sofa, but her body was wrapped in her boyfriend’s arms.

Anayatsy was stunned by how unexpectedly Israel had said it. She smiled and said, "I love you too."

They responded to each other with a passionate kiss that was suddenly ruined by a faint voice coming from the hallway, "Ana I forgot to bring the shampoo from the other restroom! Can you please bring it?"

Too possessed by Israel's kiss, Anayatsy ignored her sister.

"Anayatsy Yareni Guerrero!” the faint voice called again, “Can you please do this favor for me?"

"VALERIA, CANT YOU SEE I HAVE GUEST?” Anayatsy snapped. “WRAP A TOWEL ON AND DO IT YOURSELF!"

Israel just stared at her, surprised by the giant voice coming out of his tiny girlfriend.

There was no reply, but a moment later they heard a door open, then footsteps, and finally a door slammed and locked. She knew Valeria was going to be mad.

This memory made Anayatsy feel bad. She forced herself off the couch by grabbing the curtains and dragging herself up to get a towel and clean the water spill herself. Valeria was returning from the kitchen with the mop. "What are you doing?” Anayatsy snapped. “Leave it!"

Valeria continued to walk further into the room with the mop.

"Hey! Didn’t you hear me? Leave it!” she screamed. “I said I am going to clean it now since you made me get up! Move!"

"Why? If you didn’t do it when I asked!” Valeria’s face was turning red. “Now move!" she shouted, beginning to mop.

Then the unexpected occurred, like the cup of water spilling, it just happened so quickly. Anayatsy reached out and grabbed her sister by the hair. "Leave it alone and let me do it!" she said through her teeth as she held on to Valeria’s hair.

Anayatsy saw as Valeria looked over at Jose, she did as well and could see him trying hard to ignore the conflict, like two cats fighting in front of him. She knew her sister wasn't going to let her embarrass her like this in front of her boyfriend.

"Ana,” Valeria said through clenched teeth, her volume building as she spoke, let… ME… GO!"

Anayatsy did not let go.

"Let me go," she said again, this time more calmly.

But Anayatsy wouldn't let go.

Anayatsy saw an evil smirk come over her sister’s face and knew what happened next would not be pretty.

Now Valeria grabbed Anayatsy by her hair and pulled not only her hair, but her entire body, swinging her older sister out of the way so she could continue cleaning.

Anayatsy was like a Chihuahua, small, tiny, with an annoying voice, and she wasn't going without a fight. "I said, LET ME DO IT!" she growled through clenched teeth.

But Valeria, on the verge of tears, was already done cleaning the spilt water. She turned to her boyfriend and began to cry.

Anayatsy shut her mouth and tried to breathe normally again as her boiling blood began to cool down.

Her sister, still in tears, went back to sit next to her boyfriend and hold him like before.

"It's your fault," said Anayatsy and walked away.

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