Ini merupakan salah satu shortstory yg saya hasilkan... so, sila komen ye...
P/s. Citer ni takde kaitan dengan yg hidup atau yg dudah meninggal dunia.. semuanye rekaan semata-mata..
AUGUSTA & ME
“No!”
That was the first words I growled out as my mom asked me to keep an eye on my younger sister, Augusta. There was no way I’m going to watch over that little horror. She was so lenient. I loathed her. Couldn’t mom take Augusta with her to ‘special care’ playschool? I didn’t want her to bring down my weekend. I’m ashamed of her because she was a ‘special’ child. My friends were going to sneer at me because of her.
So here I was, waving back at mom as she drove away down the street. How could she? Mom left me with Augusta, just to attend Jeremy’s graduation. Mom always neglected me. She sent me to a boarding school which she knew I hated so much. Mom always did this to me. I hated to get home. And now she made me to look after Augusta. I never get near to a handicapped in my life. Yeah, even Augusta. I slammed the door and seized Augusta by the hand.
“Okay now, Augusta. Mom wasn’t home today. I’m in charge here. And I don’t want you to mind my business. Am I clear?” I asked her, gripping her arm.
She didn’t answer.
“Did you hear me?!” I asked her again, gripping her arm tightly. But again, she didn’t answer to me.
“Urrghh!! Idiot,” I bellowed to her face.
She looked a bit staggered.
I marched to the living room and let Augusta on her own. I flopped on the sofa and switched on the TV. Augusta called my name piercingly as I lolled on the sofa, watching TV. Firstly, I just ignored her calls. But she seemed not going to relinquish.
“What the hell you’re doing, Augusta?!” I barked back, “Don’t you have any legs to walk over here and talk to me like a normal people without shouting?”
I was extremely vexed with her. She was always being mom’s baby. But I felt a bit uncanny seeing that she didn’t turn up to sit next to me. Then I heard a loud thud. I looked back at the door. She fell on the floor. She saw I was eyeing her up at that time.
“Carla, can you help me to stand?” she asked with a glum voice.
“I...,” I was speechless. I had said something ticklish towards her in the past few minutes. Mom didn’t have time for me because she was busy taking care of Augusta. Augusta was a ‘physically-challenged’ kid. I was so green with envy of her because she always got mom’s attention. But I knew she couldn’t help herself to move.
I rushed to the door, lifted Augusta up to my waist and put her on the sofa. I sat beside her and watched the TV pretentiously as I didn’t want Augusta saw me feeling guilty. She wasn’t watching the TV, but watching me. She opened her mouth slightly and I could tell that she wanted to say something to me.
“Carla, why are you so cold toward me?” she asked, looking me with teary discernment. I didn’t answer to her. I didn’t know what to say. I stood up and walked to the kitchen. I tried to change the atmosphere.
“Do you want anything? I want to make something to eat,” I asked her, without looking into her eyes. I tried to bury the hatchet with her.
“I want the caramel pudding,” said she, slowly at last.
I brought the pudding and some sandwiches to the front of the TV, over the sofa. She was watching ‘Barney & friends’ show. I put the food down on the coffee table. The show was boring me. I grasped the controller on her lap and switched to another channel. She looked at me but I just ignored her.
‘You couldn’t make me feel guilty’, I thought.
I took the pudding and eat it up as I watched my favourite programme, ‘Party Planner with David Tutera’. She pulled my sleeves gently.
“Carla? I want it,” said she, pointing at the plate that I was holding.
“You can eat the sandwiches,” I snapped back to her, “I want these.”
Then, she didn’t say anything more. She just sat beside me, watching the programme with me.
After the programme ended, I went to my room, leaving Augusta who was sleeping on the sofa alone. I sift through my wardrobe for a dress. I wasn’t home for a long time. For that reason, I tidied up my wardrobe. Put away the clothes and kept the nice ones only. By the time I’d finished, I found Augusta sitting on the floor by my bed. She was only about three feet tall. That was why I didn’t realise she was watching me tidying my wardrobe. She had surprised me to death by her childish voice.
“Carla? Can I wear that?” she asked me with pleading face.
“No, you can’t, you hideous!” I snapped at her.
“Why?” she said slowly.
“Because you are, sadly to say, an unprepossessing girl.” I double up, laughing at her.
She’d annoyed me so much. Firstly, she’d spoiled my birthday cake in front of my friends. Then, she spilled cappuccino on my very best outfit in the presence of a very dazzling boy. I’m not going to forgive her even until I die.
I was walking out of my room when she asked me something.
“Carla? Are you going somewhere? Can I come with you?” asked she dimly, stuttering some words. Then, an idea stroke into my head. I went to her and leant down.
“We are going,” said I, lifting her up, “to Jenna’s house.” Jenna was Augusta’s friend. She faces the same luck as Augusta. That’s why I decided to bring Augusta to Jenna’s house. If Augusta got friend to occupy herself, I would be in tranquillity. I smiled satisfiedly.
She smiled at me with good cheer which made my stomach churned. She artlessly believed that I was treating her nicely. But actually, I just wanted to get rid of her.
I put her on her wheelchair and pushed it droopily as I walked till I reached Jenna’s house. Augusta was so excited meeting her friend. All the way to Jenna’s house, she kept asking me whether we’d arrived or not (she couldn’t remember the way to Jenna’s house).
“Wait here,” I told her, “I’ll ring the bell,” I continued, walking through the front garden which had a beautifully scattered shingles, to the front doorstep. I pushed the bell a few times and turned back to look at Augusta. Then I saw a few boys of Augusta ages, mocking and teasing her.
“Hey, guys!” called one of the boys in a red shirt, “Check this out!”
“Oooh... a handicapped!” answered one of his friend who was wearing a cap.
Just after he said that, Augusta shook her wheelchair and fell out of it. God knows how I felt that moment. All the boys laughed at her. I didn’t know what to do that moment. I could tell that Augusta was trying to throw some small stones with all her brawn. Then there was a ‘click’ sounded at the rear of me followed by Mrs. William’s (Jenna’s mom) shouts.
“Boys! Four of you!” bellowed she, pushing me to get her way to Augusta.
“Break out, guys!” All the boys make off before Mrs. William could get them.
“Come back here!” ordered she rigorously, lifting Augusta up again into her wheelchair, “You just wait!”
I went to give a hand to her. I took Augusta’s hand. Mrs. William abruptly looked up at me. She seemed like she wasn’t expect anyone at the moment.
“Oh, Carla! I’m sorry about this. I didn’t know that Augusta can make her way here by herself,” she said, trying to push the wheelchair onto the doorstep.
“I brought her here, Mrs. William.”
“Oh...” she stopped pushing the wheelchair and there was a surprise in her voice, “I do understand that maybe you’re afraid of the boys. I know they’re so mischievous. I’ll talk to their moms later about this,” she gave the surety wholeheartedly.
“Thanks, Mrs. William. I ...”
“Where’s Jenna?” asked Augusta, interrupting me.
“She’s in the kitchen, Augusta. I’ll tell her that you came,” she said softly, leaning down toward Augusta as she kissed Augusta’s forehead.
Then she gently took me aside.
“Carla,” asked she, “I’d to go and fetch Matt from his hostel now. Could you please look after Jenna? I’m glad that you come right at the time,” she said benignly.
“Yeah, sure. I want to bring them to the park, so that they can play there,” I said crassly.
‘Oh, no! Now I’d to stick with two handicapped. Ha ha ha... my weekend went soooo ‘marvellously’.’ I thought.
But the damaged was done.
“Thanks, Carla. I know I can count on you,” said she, gripping my hand.
She gave me a lift to the park which just took ten minutes to get there. Augusta and Jenna chatted happily throughout the trip. The weather was just fair. I hoped that this was going to be a pleasurable time. But soon, I found out that some of my classmates were there too.
‘Oh gosh...’
I tried to walk quickly to find a more hidden spot. But I couldn’t as I had to push Augusta’s wheelchair at the same time leading Jenna’s walk. Then they spotted me.
“Hey, Carla!” said Ron, one of my ‘good-looking’ classmate, gesturing at me to come over.
I was bashful at the time. They were going to know my poignant life’s story now.
“Hey! I don’t know that you guys stay around here,” I said, trying to start a chat.
“Yeah. We live around here. At the street near that block,” he said, pointing to an old-looking block.
“Oh, that area. I never been there,” said I, looking at the place where he pointed.
“So, Carla, Who are these kids?” said Finn, my classmate too.
‘Oh, no! Now they asked about it.’
“Mm... this is Jenna and this is Augusta, my sister,” said I, pointing at each of them.
“Whoa! Carla. You never told us about this...” he lost his words.
“Handicapped,” Ron continued. Ron was holding back his amuse.
I told them that I didn’t like them much. I thought if I said that, they were going to talk about anything else. But I was wrong.
“Oh, poor Jenna and Augusta, they are so adorable,” said Ron, pinching Jenna’s cheek. Finn laughed at Ron’s joke. I laughed too. But I wasn’t feeling amused.
‘What’s wrong with me? I like laughing at Augusta. But why I felt infuriated when Ron poked fun at Augusta,” I thought.
“Hey, Carla. I heard the restaurant round the corner, the new restaurant, serves lip-smacking grub. You see, there.” Ron said to me, pointing out a bright coloured restaurant at a corner of a street.
“Yeah, I see it. But I never been in there yet.” I said to him back. I knew the meaning of the lines. Susan, my best friend, said that if a boy talks about a place or something that he thinks interesting, that’s mean he wants us to check it out too. So, I thought that he going to ask me out to the restaurant, as a date. I was so nervous about it.
“So... did you like to try the food?” he bashfully asked me, flicking his hair to the back. He looked so enticing by doing that.
“Yeah… sure,” said I, blushing frenetically. Susan was right. He did ask me out.
‘But when will he ask me that?’ I thought.
“Well… let’s go now. I’m starving,” said Ron, pulling my hand as he walked towards the restaurant. I walked coyly with him. I really liked him. I felt thrilled to bits.
I felt like floating in the air as I paced behind Ron and Finn. Suddenly, there was a loud crash and a scream. A girl’s screams. Ron and Finn looked back and unexpectedly stopped.
“Carla… I think that’s your sister,” said he benevolently, staring deep into my eyes. I was stunned. The only word that I could say was:
“Augusta!!!!”
After the incident, my standpoint towards Augusta had changed totally. I never ignore her or hurt her anymore. I had been a careless person that day. I forgot about Augusta and Jenna just because of my passion. Just because of a boy that I fancied, I pay no heed to Augusta. As the result of my actions, Augusta had to stay at the hospital for a month and got three stitches at her head. Jenna was fine. Mom had been cold toward me for the whole week till I apologized to her and promised that I’m not going to let it happen again. Mom trusted me, so I’m going to keep my word. I realized that people like Augusta need a help from normal people (like us) to survive through their lives. And I knew there was so many people felt that their younger sisters disrupted their relationships with their moms (and their life too). But they should changes their attitudes as the endowment gave them scores of benefit. The incident was a blessing in disguise from my point of view as it had made me knew that I actually do love Augusta. The day I baby-sat my sister had gave a substantial impacts to my life.
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