What My Sister Remembered by Marilyn Sachs Read Free Book Online

at me. “What do you know?” she asked. “You don’t know anything.”
    “I know plenty,” I said. “I know you’re mean and selfish, and you’re making my mother feel bad.”
    “She’s not your mother,” Beth cried in a shrill voice. “She’s your aunt.”
    “Well, if she’s not my mother,” I yelled, “Aunt Helene isn’t your mother either.”
    Beth stood up, and the two of us moved toward each other. Oh, I thought, if I could just land one punch on her mean face, and get one grab at her shiny, short hair ...
    But my mom got between us and put a hand on each of our shoulders.
    “No!” she said. “No!”
    The three of us stood there straining against one another, and then my father came into the room.
    “What’s going on here?” he asked. “What’s all the yelling about?”
    “She picked on Mom,” I yelled.
    “She insulted me,” Beth cried.
    “Girls! Girls! Girls!” said my mother.
    “You know what?” said my dad, laughing. “I think we need to call in the U.N. Right, Beth?”
    And then Beth began laughing too. My father put his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned against him. “I’m sorry, Uncle Walter,” she said.
    “You should apologize to my mother , ” I told her, ‘‘not to my dad. She’s the one you should apologize to.”
    “Let’s just start all over again,” my father said. “Let’s have breakfast, and then the two of you can come shopping with me. We’re going to have the whole gang over later, and Beth, you haven’t tasted anything until you’ve tasted your Aunt Karen’s lasagna.”
    Beth made a face. “I don’t like lasagna,” she said.
    “Oh, you’ll like this lasagna,” said my dad.
    My mother was rummaging around in the cupboard and held up a small box. “Here, Beth. See? I do have nutmeg.”
    “Maybe I’ll get dressed first,” Beth said to my dad. “The three of you are already dressed.”
    “Good idea!” My dad patted her shoulder, smiled, and watched her as she walked off down the hall. Then he turned to me. He wasn’t smiling. “Molly,” he said, “I don’t like the way you’re acting.”
    “Me?” I protested. “She started it. Didn’t she, Mom?”
    But my mother only shook her head and began putting the muffins into a basket. My mother hardly ever remains silent during an argument, and I watched her in surprise.
    “I don’t care who started it.” My father took me by the arm and spoke in a very low voice.
    “She insulted Mom. She—"
    “Beth is your sister,” my father interrupted, “and she’s also your guest.”
    “She’s not my guest. I didn’t invite her.”
    My father shook my arm and said angrily but still in a very low voice, “Now, I want you to cut it out. Do you hear me? I want you to cut it out and behave yourself. If you talk nicely to her, she’ll talk nicely to you. I really enjoyed my conversation with her this morning. She’s a very intelligent, interesting girl—and she knows what’s happening in the world.”
    “She’s a stinker, and she’s mean to Mom.”
    Suddenly, my mother broke in. “Listen to your father, Molly,” she said. “You just do what he tells you.”
    “Mom,” I cried. “She was rude to you, she—"
    “All right now, Molly.” My father tightened his grip on my arm. “I want you to go and apologize to Beth.”
    “No,” I said, “I won’t.”
    “Oh, yes, you will.” My father began moving me toward the door. “You will go and apologize to her, and you will behave yourself as long as she is in this house. She is your sister, and you will make it your business to get along with her.”
    “She’s selfish and mean.”
    “No,” said my father. “You’re the one who’s selfish and mean. You’re only thinking of yourself, and you’re jealous because her family’s got more money than yours, and she’s got a fancy bracelet and more bathrooms in her house than you’ve got in yours.”
    The tears rushed down my face. It was all so unfair ... and maybe also a