Chapter 3
When I heard Isaac say that I would benefit from it, I laughed. But as I laughed, I couldn’t hold back a few tears. Ever since I started working in the hospital, I had been doing the toughest jobs, while Shirley always got the easiest ones. My parents were so afraid that she would get tired that they told all our colleagues that Shirley was too young to endure hardship. Once, I accidentally overheard Cara saying, “Don’t let Shirley get too tired. But you can ask Olivia to do the odd jobs. She wasn’t with us when she was a kid, so she can take the hardship.” She evaded the important facts and ignored the truth that I had been abducted when I was a child. She just said that I could endure hardship, while Shirley, who was showered with all the love, couldn’t. Even though Shirley’s grades were so poor that no hospital was willing to hire her, it was my parents who pulled some strings to get her in. During my internship, I was busy doing the work of two people all by myself. I had to write two reports. Most of the time, I didn’t even have time to eat. I was so exhausted that I would fall asleep as soon as I fell onto the bed. This was what Isaac meant by me benefiting from it. I forcefully held back my sobs and asked sharply, “Isaac, isn’t my life and safety important? It’s AIDS we’re talking about! Once infected, I’ll carry it for life. I’m only twenty years old! If I’m really infected, the consequences will be unimaginable…” Before I could finish speaking, I was interrupted. Isaac frowned even more. He sneered and scolded me in a mean tone, “Are you done? You’re fine now, aren’t you? You’re already a nurse. Can’t you stop being so delicate? I thought you had become independent and strong-willed since you were found…” He shook his head in disappointment as if he had sentenced me to death. “You’re totally hopeless now.” These words were so ironic. My heart, which had been filled with negative emotions, now deflated like a punctured balloon. I felt weak and defeated, and suddenly I thought of the day I was first found and brought back home. I was led by Isaac, tightly clutching the hem of my washed-out white dress, and my heart was pounding. I told myself in my heart that I had to stay calm, that I had to make my family like me and not drive me away. Then, I saw Shirley wearing an expensive little dress, walking down the magnificent spiral staircase step by step. She came up to me, took a good look at me, and then asked innocently, “Isaac, who is she? Is she the new servant in our house?” Isaac’s mouth was set in a tight line. He squeezed my hand a little harder, but he never denied what she said. He just said, “From now on, she’ll be your elder sister.”
At first, I was a bit resentful. Due to my parents’ negligence, I got lost and after going through a lot of twists and turns, I was finally sold to a poor rural area. I had been missing for five years. There, not only did I have to do the laundry and cooking, take care of an elderly person who couldn’t get out of bed, and even had to deal with her excrement right on the bed, but I also had to endure hunger. I refused to give up and studied hard. It was not until the family relaxed their vigilance that I walked for three days and three nights to the town and reported to the police. I thought that after being rescued, I could finally return to my happy home. However, by then, there was no place for me in the family anymore. Shirley had already become the apple of the whole family’s eye. After I got lost, my parents transferred all their guilt towards me onto Shirley, who bore some resemblance to me. Most of the time, they even instinctively showed favoritism towards her. Even if I just ate a piece of beef, they would scold me, “Shirley likes this. Can’t you wait until she’s finished eating? Why are you so gluttonous? It’s not like you’ve never eaten it before.” But I really hadn’t had meat for a long time. So I silently put down my fork, held back my grievances and sadness, and placed the plate of beef in front of Shirley, fearing that if I did something wrong, they might abandon me and I would be sent back to that rural area again. I gave in a great deal. Even three years ago, I gave up my secret crush. I wondered, “Haven’t I done enough? Why won’t my family fully accept me?”
A long time passed, so long that my colleagues all left work. Isaac glanced at his phone and said impatiently, “Stop playing the victim. Jeana just told me you’ve already taken the meds, so you’ll be fine!” Another message popped up on his phone. He took a look and then sneered at me, “Shirley was worried you’d have a meltdown and asked me to comfort you. So cut out that fake act of yours.” I came back to myself, licked my dry lips, and after a moment’s hesitation, said, “Thank her for me.” In truth, my heart was breaking. After being treated so unfairly by their own flesh and blood, no one could pretend nothing had happened. But I knew that even if I was suffering to the point of collapse, no one would care. My parents would just think I was being dramatic, and Shirley would just wipe her tears, hold my hand, and say in a weepy voice, “Olivia, I wish it had been me who got abducted instead…” Seemingly caught off guard by my response, Isaac froze for a moment before snapping, “Look at the mess you’ve made of yourself!” Before I could reply, he rushed off, no doubt to join the family dinner. After Isaac left, I stood there, rooted to the spot. The words my family had said echoed in my ears, each one twisting the knife in my heart. “When will you be as sensible as Shirley?” “Can’t you stop looking so gloomy all the time?” “If you make Shirley cry again, get out of this house!” These heartless words were like a sharp blade, severing the last thread of warmth between me and this family. I was abducted at eleven and found at sixteen, and I’d tiptoed around them ever since. Now, at twenty-one, I finally realized that my own flesh and blood truly didn’t give a damn whether I lived or died. I suddenly burst into laughter. It was as if a part of my heart reserved for family was cracking open, and a knife was slowly cutting away every bit of affection I’d held for them. As the wounds began to heal, I placed my hand over my beating heart and was surprised to find that I really didn’t care anymore. I no longer cared about my parents’ love, Isaac’s disdain, or Shirley’s constant provocation. Clumsily, I took out my phone and dialed the local health department’s number. I poured out all the words I’d been holding back for so long. “I want to report my colleagues for concealing a patient’s AIDS history and putting me at risk of infection.” Free Point