I have a feeling that when you work from home, people get the idea that you have all the spare time in the world. Since you're always at home and have the liberty to create your own schedule, they think you're always available when they need you. It's that type of misconception that led my older sister to knock on my door at 6:00 AM, demanding that I leave New York and go all the way to Texas for a two-month stay.
"What the fuck did you just say?" I asked her, feeling flabbergasted.
She had the audacity to roll her eyes at me and sigh before answering.
"You're going to stay with Mom at the farm until her leg heals. Stop acting stupid; you know she needs someone to take care of her, and you're the only one here with time to spare."
I slammed my hand against the table; she always made me furious. I hate how entitled she is, and most of all, I hate how she manipulates all situations, painting me as the crazy bitch while she plays the role of the reasonable and calm older sister. Like what's happening right now.
"What time to spare, Rose? Stop acting like I'm some fucking lazy bitch who does nothing all day! I work, and I work a lot." I yelled at her face.
"But you work from home, Olivia. Now tell me, how am I supposed to work as a doctor from a home office? If someone's dying, am I supposed to send them an email?"
"I'm not saying you have to be the one to go there. What I'm saying is that I also can't. So if we could pay someone..."
"No," she interrupted me. "I'm not spending any money if you can just go there and do it yourself. What you're doing right now is one of your tantrums."
"Out," I said. There's no way I can take any more of this.
"What do you mean 'out'?" she said, frowning at me.
"I mean out of my house, now."
"What? You can't do that..."
"Yes, I can. I will solve this issue with Mom, but I want you out of my house now before you can spit another one of your bullshits at me."
She stared at me with her deadly gaze. When I was little, I got scared when she looked at me that way, but now I was used to it and never looked away. The tension in the air was palpable. Then, she finally got up to leave. Once she was at the door, she stopped just to say something to piss me off one more time.
"You're the most ungrateful person I've ever met. After everything my family has done for you."
"You mean our family," I corrected her.
She slammed the door when she left. I was shaking; every time Rose and I fought, I became a pile of nerves. It wasn't easy for me to stand up against her, but I had to do it anyway. No matter how hard it is to fight back, I never let people treat me like shit.
The situation with me and Rose is pretty complicated. Our mom adopted me when I was 10, and Rose was 14. At the time, Mom had already divorced Rose's dad, and she spent a week in her father's house and one in ours. However, she never accepted me as part of the family. I never understood why because everyone else is super chill about it. Honestly, I couldn't care less for her reasons, as there's nothing in the world that justifies how she treats me.
I went to take a shower to compose myself before I could call Mom. Once I got in the bathroom, I couldn't help looking in the mirror and thinking about how different I look from the other members of my family. While Rose and Mom have blonde hair and blue eyes, I, on the other hand, am a Latina, brunette with dark eyes and caramel-colored skin. When I was in front of Rose, I always pretended what she said didn't affect me, but it sure as hell did.
My shower was quick since I wanted to call Mom before starting to work. When I finished getting ready for the day, I sat on the couch and took a deep breath before dialing her number. After a short wait, I heard my mom's melodic voice.
"Hi, honey! How's my baby doing?" she chirped happily.
"Hey Mom! I'm doing okay. But what about you? I heard you broke your leg," I answered. Just hearing her voice helped make this awfully started day better.
"Ugh, Rose already went to pester you, didn't she? I told her to keep a secret! There's no need for you girls to be worrying about me. I'm fine!"
"How did it happen?" I asked.
"Just, you know, my labyrinthitis. I was having a crisis and tripped down the stairs."
"Oh god, and the doctor put a cast on you, right?" I raised one hand and pinched the bridge of my nose as worry took over me.
"He did, but I told him he was exaggerating! It's no big deal, Olivia. Stop worrying so much; I can handle myself."
"Mom, I can't leave you alone with a broken leg! How are you going to take a shower or go up the stairs to your room? And to make matters worse, your labyrinthitis is back. What if you trip and fall again?"
"I just have to be careful!" she said, exasperated. Mom was the type who loved taking care of others but hated being taken care of.
"Mom, please be reasonable. I just want what's best for you. I can talk to my boss, ask if I can have my vacation early this year or something else. I don't know, but I'll figure it out." As I said that, I heard my mom sigh from the other end of the line.
"Okay, do whatever you want, but remember, you don't have to come," she said stubbornly.
"Sure. I'll call you later, okay?"
"Okay, love you."
"Me too, bye."
After we ended the call, I sent my boss a text asking if we could talk and opened my laptop, diving straight into work. I'm a graphic designer, and the company I work for is quite big. They pay well, and I only have to go into the office at least 2 times per month. It's not the best job in the world, but I've seen worse. Plus, my current boss, a woman named Sharon, is a very good person and a competent worker.
I worked on my projects all day, and at night, I was able to talk with Sharon about my mom's situation. After a long discussion about logistics and conditions, Sharon and I agreed on me being free from work to go stay with my mom for one month. After that, I would spend 15 days still allowed to be in Texas but with double my workload, and then I had to go back and go into the office for the last 15 days of that second month.
It wasn't ideal; all the extra work I would have to do on the second month would probably kill me. However, it was the only way for me to be able to go there and take care of my mom. There's no way I would leave her alone, after all, Mom never left me alone when I needed her, no matter how hard it was for her. Like when people found out I was a lesbian, and Mom stood up for me against all the judgment of our little community, leading her to be ostracized along with me. Or when my fiancΓ©e cheated on me, and she took a plane all the way to New York so I could cry on her shoulder.
Long story short, I bought a plane ticket, and in 24 hours, I would be heading on an unexpected trip to Texas.