This is a sequel to Packing, set three years after that but you don't have to read that to understand this. It's just in the same universe, but Packing isn't a big part of the plot on this story.
I've never done a Helga/Olga story and even though I hated Olga when I was younger, I appreciate her now. This didn't come out exactly how I wanted but I still like it.
"Baby sister?"
Helga looked up from her homework that she was doing on her bed when she heard her sister call her from her doorway.
"I'm going to my room but I probably won't go to sleep for awhile. Just come in if you need something, alright," Olga told her younger sister.
"I will," Helga said, going back to her homework. Out of the corner of her eye Helga saw her sister stand in the doorway for a few more moments and then turn and walk towards her room.
When she heard the door close she sighed.
She was being a bad sister and she knew it. With Olga's personal assistant job to that jerk Helga had the misfortune of meeting a few times and Helga being in school and softball afterwards, they barely saw each other.
Helga knew that spending time with each other was very important to Olga but she respected Helga's boundaries so she never asked.
Even after living together for three years, they still respected each other boundaries.
Putting down her pencil, Helga lay on her back and stared at her ceiling. She didn't like thinking about the circumstances that had her living with her sister. Not that she regretted living with Olga. For all her over protective and slightly smothering ways Olga was the best sister that Helga could possibly ask for. But that didn't mean that she wanted to think about what brought her into Olga's home.
Despite a certain boy that she was happy to say that she could go months without thinking about, there was the obvious lack of parental care or concern from her parents when it came to her. Something that she thought that Olga never noticed because she was to wrapped up in them singing her praises every time she came home.
That all changed about six months after she had moved in with her sister.
She had only a half day at school so she decided to take a nap and when she woke up she went down the stairs to get something to eat when she stopped halfway down because she heard Olga's raised voice.
Olga never raised her voice. Ever. She was about to go back up the stairs and give Olga her privacy until her words processed in Helga's mind.
"Do you realize that she's your daughter too and you haven't talked to her once, not once, since she's moved here with me?
Even though eavesdropping was something that Helga hated, thanks to Brainy, she couldn't make her feet move.
It was true that Big Bob and Miriam hadn't bother calling her in the half year that she'd been gone but she never thought about it. At least didn't think much about it. At least she tried not to think much about it.
"I don't want to hear your excuses," she heard her sister yell into what she assumed was her phone. "How can you not see anything wrong with not speaking to your eleven year old daughter for six months but you can call me just to tell me that you polished my awards case?"
Olga was silent for a few moments then yelled, even louder than before, "No she is not eight, Daddy! She made eleven two months ago, not that you called to show that you gave a damn."
Helga had to catch herself before she gasped and gave herself away. That couldn't be Olga. Yelling at Bob and cursing? Was this invasion of the body snatchers?
"I had to give her a card and sign yours and mommy's name on it because I knew that you wouldn't remember. And the worst part is that she knew I did it. Do you know how much that had to hurt her? To know that her parents didn't even care to remember her birthday?"
Olga was silent once again and then with an outraged voice she said, "What did you just call her? Her name is NOT Olga. Her name is Helga. Helga Geraldine Pataki. You can't even remember her name Daddy?"
Helga heard the angry tears in her sister's voice and was about go down the rest of the stairs to stop her from talking to Bob when she heard Olga say, "Of course she's a tough kid. With the parents she's had she has to be."
More silence then, "I don't care how I was or wasn't raised to talk to you, when it comes to my sister, I'll talk to you however I want to. Do you want to know why I asked Helga here Daddy?"
"Because I was terrified that someone would finally see the way you treat her and child protective services would take her away from me," Olga said into the phone.
"I just knew that after that incident with that horrible Scheck man that they would take her away. You were to busy wrapped up in your beeper business and your money to even realize that your daughter was missing! She could have died, do you realize that?"
More silence. "I don't want to hear any excuses about what you were doing. Helga is your daughter. Your daughter. She should have come first. I practically had to raise her myself before I went to college and that's probably the only reason why she knows what her name actually is. I'm not going to let you mistreat her anymore. Until you can be as good of a parent to her that you are to me I don't want anything to do with either you or Mommy. I don't want any phone calls, letters, or anything until you can prove to me-no to both of us that you can love her just as much as you love me. Goodbye Daddy."
Hearing Olga slam the phone into the cradle, Helga quietly went back to her room and when she saw Olga later on that evening, pretended that she didn't know what happened.
After that day Helga appreciated and respected her sister a lot more. That was the only time that she had ever seen Olga angry, and the fact that she was angry on her behalf was something that Helga would always cherish.
It had taken awhile, but Miriam and Big Bob finally treated Helga like she was actually valued. She was positive that Olga would permanently kick their parents out of their lives if they hadn't.
Living with Olga had given Helga the chance that she had told Lila that she needed three years ago.
Olga saw her talent in writing and encouraged her to pursue it. Instead of devoting everything she wrote to unrequited love, Helga wrote about everything and realized just how much she actually loved writing.
Olga also enrolled her in softball at the local YMCA. Helga was starting pitcher and she was a pretty good batter too.
And through it all she never once made Helga feel like she was a detriment or that she was unwanted. The least she could do was spend time with her sister.
Getting up from her bed, Helga opened her door and lightly knocked on Olga's door.
"Come in," she heard her sister say.
Helga opened the door, but stayed at the doorframe. "I'm pretty much done with my homework…," she said letting her voice trail off.
Olga smiled, sensing Helga's hesitancy. "Would you like to watch t.v. with me baby sister?"
"Sure," Helga said, going to Olga's bed and snuggling against her.
They watched cheesy primetime sitcoms, not really saying anything, just happy to be in each other's company.
When the latest one they were watching went to commercial, Helga turned to her sister and said, "I know that I'm not the easiest sister in the world but I want to let you know that I love you and thank you for always being there for me."
"You're welcome baby sister and I love you too," Olga told her with a smile and what looked like tears in her eyes. "I wouldn't want you any other way. I know that you haven't had the easiest life but you'll always have me."
They continued to watch television until Olga said, "You know you'll always have a home with me even if you decide to go back to live with Mommy and Daddy right?"
Shocked, Helga sat at and looked at her sister. "But I don't want to leave. I like living with you."
"Oh baby sister, I know. And I like living with you too but I just want you to know that if you ever decide to go back, you won't hurt my feelings."
"But-"
"You grew up there Helga," her sister said, settling deeper into the bed. "Besides, I have a feeling that you have some unfinished business there."
"Why do you have to be so smart," Helga grumbled as she lay back down next to her sister.
"It's because older sisters are always geniuses"
I know that they phone conversation ran long but once I started writing it I couldn't stop. Even though Olga is annoyingly a Mary Sue, she's not stupid. At least in my mind she isn't. Tell me what you think. Let me know if you like it, hate it, or just thought that it was ok. I love reviews.
kialajaray