Read Online My Sister, My Love by Joyce Carol Oates - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Joyce Carol Oates
Tags: General Fiction
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always cooing, especially female visitors; yet Edna Louise could certainly be, after visitors disappeared, a “very bad girl” (as Mummy said).
Poor Edna Louise! Mummy shook her head, “Edna Louise” was such an ugly name.
(Anxiously Skyler asked: was “Skyler” an ugly name, too? And Mummy said quickly No! “Skyler” was a beautiful name.)
Edna Louise had been named for Grandmother Rampike who was Daddy’s mother from Pittsburgh. The reason for this, Skyler gathered, was to make Grandmother Rampike “like” Edna Louise, and Mummy, more than Grandmother Rampike might otherwise have liked either of them; for Grandmother Rampike was, as Daddy conceded, an “icy-hearted old gal” with a smile that was the “exact way” a pike would smile “if a pike could smile.”
(Skyler erupted into peals of laughter when Daddy said such funny things for often Daddy did not himself smile but spoke gravely, which made Daddy all the funnier. And if Mummy did not laugh, but looked uncomfortable, or blushed, somehow it was even funnier. Especially Skyler laughed when Daddy said how Grandmother Rampike and certain relatives of Daddy’s lived in “Piggsburgh” which was the “gruntiest, stinkiest” city in the United States.)
Daddy adored Edna Louise, mostly. Skyler felt a stab of jealousy when Daddy lunged at Edna Louise to swoop her up in his arms calling her “my bestest prettiest little gal.” But Daddy was not home much of the time. Mummy was home.
Skyler observed Mummy with Edna Louise and was not jealous, for Skyler sensed how Mummy did not love Edna Louise. Not as Mummy loved Skyler. For Mummy enrolled Edna Louise in the Montessori school when Edna Louise was just two, where Mummy had not wanted to enrollSkyler at that age because Skyler had been Mummy’s little man and Mummy’s companion on lonely days.
Maria-from-Mexico was in charge of Edna Louise most of the time. Skyler overheard Mummy giving Maria instructions in a rapid distracted voice as if her mind was on other, more important things. Each school-day morning, Maria got Edna Louise ready for school and walked her to the end of the driveway to be picked up by the Montessori minivan; but Mummy got Skyler ready for school and often drove him to Fair Hills Day herself, in the lime-green Chevy Impala, and picked him up after school.
Sometimes, Edna Louise was so lonely!—though she could see that Mummy wasn’t in the mood, Edna Louise hung about her, whining, whimpering, wanting a hug from Mummy; so that Mummy had to say, in an exasperated voice, “You make me weary, Edna Louise. I feel as if the two of us have been together a long, long time. Go away.”
Skyler felt a mean thrill of satisfaction, hearing this. When Mummy told Skyler to go away it was clear that Mummy did not mean it.
When Mummy relented and told Edna Louise that she was a very good girl, and Mummy loved her, Skyler heard the false brightness in Mummy’s voice and thought No! Mummy loves me.
One wintry day Skyler saw his little blond sister sprawled on the family room floor amid a scattering of dolls like dead things. He had heard Mummy’s sharp voice, and he had heard Mummy on the stairs. (Of course Mummy had not slapped or struck Edna Louise no matter how impatient she became with the strange, willful child, as Mummy did not slap or strike Skyler. That was not Mummy’s way!) And Skyler came to Edna Louise, and Skyler asked Edna Louise what was wrong, why was she crying, and Edna Louise sniffed, and wiped her runny little nose on her hand, as Mummy would have been disgusted to see Edna Louise do; and Edna Louise lifted her teary cobalt-blue eyes to Skyler who was so much bigger than Edna Louise, and older, and mattered more, and Edna Louise said in a plaintive voice: “Why doesn’t Mummy like me, Skyler, the way Mummy likes you?”
And that was the day Skyler began to love his younger sister. Just a little.
* This chapter is for Puritan history buffs among my readers,
Poor Edna Louise! Mummy shook her head, “Edna Louise” was such an ugly name.
(Anxiously Skyler asked: was “Skyler” an ugly name, too? And Mummy said quickly No! “Skyler” was a beautiful name.)
Edna Louise had been named for Grandmother Rampike who was Daddy’s mother from Pittsburgh. The reason for this, Skyler gathered, was to make Grandmother Rampike “like” Edna Louise, and Mummy, more than Grandmother Rampike might otherwise have liked either of them; for Grandmother Rampike was, as Daddy conceded, an “icy-hearted old gal” with a smile that was the “exact way” a pike would smile “if a pike could smile.”
(Skyler erupted into peals of laughter when Daddy said such funny things for often Daddy did not himself smile but spoke gravely, which made Daddy all the funnier. And if Mummy did not laugh, but looked uncomfortable, or blushed, somehow it was even funnier. Especially Skyler laughed when Daddy said how Grandmother Rampike and certain relatives of Daddy’s lived in “Piggsburgh” which was the “gruntiest, stinkiest” city in the United States.)
Daddy adored Edna Louise, mostly. Skyler felt a stab of jealousy when Daddy lunged at Edna Louise to swoop her up in his arms calling her “my bestest prettiest little gal.” But Daddy was not home much of the time. Mummy was home.
Skyler observed Mummy with Edna Louise and was not jealous, for Skyler sensed how Mummy did not love Edna Louise. Not as Mummy loved Skyler. For Mummy enrolled Edna Louise in the Montessori school when Edna Louise was just two, where Mummy had not wanted to enrollSkyler at that age because Skyler had been Mummy’s little man and Mummy’s companion on lonely days.
Maria-from-Mexico was in charge of Edna Louise most of the time. Skyler overheard Mummy giving Maria instructions in a rapid distracted voice as if her mind was on other, more important things. Each school-day morning, Maria got Edna Louise ready for school and walked her to the end of the driveway to be picked up by the Montessori minivan; but Mummy got Skyler ready for school and often drove him to Fair Hills Day herself, in the lime-green Chevy Impala, and picked him up after school.
Sometimes, Edna Louise was so lonely!—though she could see that Mummy wasn’t in the mood, Edna Louise hung about her, whining, whimpering, wanting a hug from Mummy; so that Mummy had to say, in an exasperated voice, “You make me weary, Edna Louise. I feel as if the two of us have been together a long, long time. Go away.”
Skyler felt a mean thrill of satisfaction, hearing this. When Mummy told Skyler to go away it was clear that Mummy did not mean it.
When Mummy relented and told Edna Louise that she was a very good girl, and Mummy loved her, Skyler heard the false brightness in Mummy’s voice and thought No! Mummy loves me.
One wintry day Skyler saw his little blond sister sprawled on the family room floor amid a scattering of dolls like dead things. He had heard Mummy’s sharp voice, and he had heard Mummy on the stairs. (Of course Mummy had not slapped or struck Edna Louise no matter how impatient she became with the strange, willful child, as Mummy did not slap or strike Skyler. That was not Mummy’s way!) And Skyler came to Edna Louise, and Skyler asked Edna Louise what was wrong, why was she crying, and Edna Louise sniffed, and wiped her runny little nose on her hand, as Mummy would have been disgusted to see Edna Louise do; and Edna Louise lifted her teary cobalt-blue eyes to Skyler who was so much bigger than Edna Louise, and older, and mattered more, and Edna Louise said in a plaintive voice: “Why doesn’t Mummy like me, Skyler, the way Mummy likes you?”
And that was the day Skyler began to love his younger sister. Just a little.
* This chapter is for Puritan history buffs among my readers,
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