Marriage On Hold by Mark Twain 4
Chapter 4 A Leech
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Chapter 4 A Leech
Late that night, the tintinnabulation of the wind chime cut through the silence.
I looked up to see Eileen and Barnaby prancing into the convenience store, arm in arm.
“Hey, Syl, you’re still here?” Eileen’s tone was dripping with exaggerated surprise, as if I weren’t slaving away for a living but simply experiencing life.
Without a word, Barnaby made a beeline for the shelves, tossing chips, chocolates, jerky, and two boxes of Häagen-Dazs into the basket before slamming it down on the checkout counter.
“Barnaby…” I stared at the heap of snacks, my heart sinking. “All of these… They’re expensive,” I whispered.
“Expensive?” His brows drew together, his tone harsh and impatient. “If my girlfriend wants them, I don’t care how much they cost, and she will have them! Don’t tell me what to do!”
After yelling at me, he put on an obsequious smile directed at Eileen. “Honey, take whatever you want. My sister is paying today!”
Eileen scanned my sickly pale face, then covered her mouth and giggled.
“Come on, Syl, don’t be such a miser! Your brother said that everything you earn will one day be his. You should be glad that we want to spend your money. Think of it as fulfilling your obligation in advance.”
At the checkout, the cash register read: 55 dollars.
Barnaby didn’t even bother to look and pushed the whole pile toward me. “Put it on my tab.”
“Barny, this is a small business. I’m afraid I can’t do that,” I explained, on the brink of tears.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Barnaby’s face darkened, his voice rising to a roar. “I’m spending my own money. How dare you stop me? Just so you should know, Sylvie, every single coin you’ve earned belongs to me! If you hadn’t been stealing all Mom and Dad’s love, would they treat me like this? All of this is on you!”
Eileen held his hand, pretending to be considerate. “Calm down, Barny! Why argue with your own sister? Syl, can’t you cover it for now? He will pay you back.”
“1
I knew this money would again be logged in Dad’s red ledger, becoming another “gap” that I
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Chapter 4 A Leech
needed to fill.
Silently, I fished out the wrinkled bills from my tattered purse and covered the cost.
Carrying the bags, they strutted off, grinning like the Cheshire cat.
Liam Underwood, the store owner, walked over and sighed.
“Syl. I can’t believe it… Your brother is a leech!”
I shook my head, words caught in my throat, tears running down my cheeks.
I thought this was hell.
But the real hell had yet to come.
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