Test Day
A quick piece of Flash Fiction I wrote this morning:
TEST DAY
I don’t know if we were born to the same family for each other, or if it was random. But I’ve heard you get closer to a fellow comrade during war—even if it’s a domestic one. It was okay that we both supported a different side, because deep down, we didn’t want the other combatant to stand alone.
I taught you to tie your shoelaces. I taught you your multiplication tables. I taught you to fight the neighborhood bullies. I’m ashamed that couldn’t always protect you from the one at home. We were closer than sisters, more like soulmates. And I was always secure in who I was, because I was your big sister.
On your Test Day, the doctor didn’t have to tell us. It was in his eyes. In ours, a deep, mirrored terror.
I couldn’t break. It had always been my job to make the world okay for you.
I failed.
After, I was adrift. Who was I if I wasn’t your big sister? A chasm opened in me. I wasn’t afraid of suicide, but I didn’t know how it could be possible to live without you. So I decided—I’d live enough for both of us. In my triumphs, I heard a small cheer. In my despair, I heard you cry.
Today is my Test Day. I’m unafraid, because if it’s the same sentence you got, I know I can do this.
You taught me how.
I can relate to this excerpt of the book. You immediately think of someone you are close to and love.❤️
So true, Marilyn. Hope you’ve never had a situation like this.