"I have a favour I need to ask you, sis."
Here we go, I thought, I was so used to my older sister coming to me to fix all of her problems, that this wasn't entirely unexpected when I saw her name pop up on my phone when it began ringing. Despite being the younger of us, I was far more successful in terms of my career and living situation. I'd dedicated myself to my studies and chosen profession. Stacey, meanwhile, had found herself pregnant early into her twenties and the father had disappeared shortly after the birth; some Russian asshat that had pissed off back to Moscow. My sister had even named her child after his mother in the hopes he'd stick around: he didn't. She'd struggled along ever since, and, I found myself as being her go-to when she needed some money and help. Our parents had passed away long ago and we only had each other. She was my sister, of course, so I always did my best, but the constant requests did irk me some, especially with me being the younger of us. "What is it this time?" I asked, perhaps a bit too impatiently.
"I don't want to be a bother. It's just...I can't think of anyone better to help."
I rolled my eyes and breathed down the phone. Of course, there was no one else she could think of, because I was always the first person her mind went to. "Just spit it out," I said.
"It's Natalya," she said in a whisper. "I need help with Natalya."
"Oh..." My thoughts drifted to my niece, who in all honesty, had never before been a problem. She'd just turned eighteen and as far as I knew, she was an unproblematic daughter for my sister. There had been no adventurous excursions into the worlds of alcohol, drugs or boys. Natalya was more of a tomboyish sort that preferred staying in her room and playing video games, rather than glamming up and going out. "What's the problem?"
"She's idle," she said with a sigh.
"Right?" I asked while a little confused. "Why's that a problem?"
"She won't do anything. She won't go to college and she won't get a job. She just wants to stay in her room playing her video games all day long. She won't listen to a word I say. Every time I try to get her to do something; she just tells me to shut up and go away."
"Okay. Well, that isn't nice." Evidently, perhaps some of the asshole within her father had been inherited by my beloved niece. I was still a little confused though. I mean, I'm her aunt, but what did I really know about raising a daughter? The closest I'd had to a daughter was taking on some young interns at my company. Even with regards to Natalya, I'd hardly been an involved aunt. In all honesty, I hardly knew the girl, so it was odd that Stacey was reaching out to me in regards to what to do about my niece. "What can I do?"
"Well, you work in recruitment and that, right? Could you find her a job?"
I nodded my head. "Well, yes, I mean, if she's willing to actually look and she wants to start a job, yes, I could point her in the right direction. But, you know, we live in different states, so--"
"I was thinking she could come and live with you for a while. You could help her get her life together." There was a clear desperation in my sister's voice and I sensed she was at the end of her tether. Perhaps the grown-up Natalya had become more of a problem than I realised.
Though, if that was the case, why the hell did I want to get involved? I grimaced while clutching the phone to my ear. "That doesn't sound like a good idea at all. I really don't have the time--"
"But you have such a big house with all those spare rooms, and it's just you there, right? What's the harm in her coming to stay for a while and you finding her a job or something? She needs to get her life together and I don't want these years passing her by while she just plays games all day. It could be like a bonding session between aunt and niece."
"I get that," I said, while slightly annoyed with where this conversation was going. I was Natalya's aunt, yes, but this really wasn't my responsibility. I was busy enough with my company and I didn't really have the time to be dealing with an idle teenager, especially one that was evidently a pain in the ass. "But, this is not really my problem, is it?"
"Come on," my sister said. "Don't be like that. She looks up to you so much and I'm just asking you to be a good aunt and help me out with this. I'm at the end of my wits with her. I've tried everything, but she just grunts, rolls her eyes and goes back to her video games. Besides, you've never really shown much of an interest in her, and this might be a chance to make amends. You're always so good with motivating people and getting them into work."
Despite being annoyed, I couldn't help but smile at that compliment, especially considering it was the truth. "Fine," I said. "I'll try, but she can't stay for long, okay?"
"You're a lifesaver," my sister said. "You won't believe how much this means to me. I just need a little break, then she can come back."
"It's all good," I said, some ideas were already rolling around my head in regards to how I could find a position for my niece. I reckoned I could get her lined up with something suitable within a week. She'd be back with my sister in no time, or perhaps, I'd even lead her out into the world on her own, finally a self-sufficient adult. Stacey would be impressed no doubt. "I'm sure I'll soon whip her into shape. Just let me know when you want her to get here and I'll make sure the guest room is ready."
A couple of days later, a cab arrived outside my house and I put on my best smile before coming to the door. It had been years since I'd seen my niece. She must have only been fifteen years old when I went to visit a few Christmases' ago. As the cab door opened, what immediately struck me was how much she had grown. She was taller than I remembered and more filled out. Her dark hair was tied in a ponytail, with a couple of strands hanging loosely across her forehead. There was a pinkish tinge to her cheeks, whereas her hazel eyes were buried beneath thick, black eyeliner. As usual, she was wearing a loose hoodie along with a pair of jeans that were fraying at the bottom; the cotton strands of denim sitting atop a pair of dirty, old converse. She had a small backpack pulled over one shoulder, which I thought was odd as she seemed to have brought no extra luggage.
"Hi, dear," I said, while waving and offering a smile.
I expected a smile back, but instead I was greeted only with a curling of her lip and rolling of her eyes. "Do we really need to be doing this?"
"What do you mean?" I was caught a little bit by the evident misery of her. I knew she was a tomboy and a bit of an introvert, but still, there was no need to be rude, especially since we were family and hadn't seen each other in a while.
She held out a hand, her black-painted fingers spraying out as she gestured towards my house. "This. Do I really need to be here? This is all a waste of time."
I shrugged my shoulders and attempted the same smile. "Well, give it a chance, you never know: you might enjoy yourself."
Another roll of her eyes followed as she neared me. "I really doubt that."
I struggled to hold onto my smile, but I was determined to not let her miserable attitude bring me down to her level. However, what was immediately noticeable was that my sister had been totally correct about my niece's attitude; she had become quite a rude and agitated young girl. Frankly, in the few minutes since our reunion, I wouldn't be out of line by labelling her a bitch.
Natalya stopped right in front of me and looked me in the eyes. "I just want you to know I am only here because I am being forced."
"Happy to see you again too," I said sarcastically, before swinging the door open and directing her in with an outstretched arm. My patience was already wearing thin with her; I too didn't want her here as well. I was the responsible adult, however, and I couldn't exactly get into a slanging match with her right on my doorstep.
Natalya let out a loud, heavy sigh in response. "Whatever," she said while brushing passed me and I was left merely tutting in response.
Upon waltzing into my living area, Natalya seemed to perk up as she caught sight of my large television. "Nice," she said while walking over and running her finger along the top of the screen's edge. "This is way bigger than Mom's."
I smiled at her finally acting positive about something. "Yes, it's great for watching movies. I've had a whole surround sound system fitted."
Natalya spun and noted the speakers in the corner of the room. Again, she nodded in approval. "Is it any good for games?" she asked while eyeing me curiously. "I reckon this would be awesome for Fortnite or Call of Duty."
I rolled my eyes and jiggled my shoulders while taking a step towards her. "Well, I don't know what any of that means, but this television is for me to relax after work, not playing games all day." It made sense to set the boundaries right from the get go. After everything my sister had been going through with Natalya's idle behaviour, I knew I had to push back against any attempt at her immediately slipping into similar ways.
"Whatevs," she said with a glare of repulsion at my attempt to exert authority. "So, where's my room?"
"Up the stairs. Second door on the left."
"Fine."
I followed her up while she made a scene of stomping as she ascended each step. I found it rude that she hadn't removed her dirty sneakers at the front door and I would no doubt have to clean up the dust, but Natalya didn't seem to care at all. She even walked straight into the carpeted bedroom without paying her dirty shoes any mind.
I'd made sure the guest room had a large bed, and I spent some time before her arrival ensuring everything was clean and organised. I'd even folded some fresh towels on the bed and made sure the adjacent ensuite bathroom was fully stocked. Hopefully she'd settle straight in, because the room was comparable to some of the finest hotels.
"There's no TV," Natalya said while completely ignoring all of the effort I'd put in for her. She turned and looked at me dumbfounded. "How am I supposed to play my games with no TV?"
I stared back at her blankly, waiting to see if she would figure it out herself. However, Natalya expectantly waited for a response, shrugging out her palm to the air impatiently. I nodded at her confusion, and spoke very slowly so that she could understand, "There will not be any video games in this house, dear. You're here to try and turn your life around, not waste your time playing games."
