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1.
Mary was in a predicament.
Her babysitter was snoozing away in the living room. It was almost midnight, and her mother was still not home.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Catalina had said over the phone.
The phone call was three hours ago.
Her mother had left in a rush that morning, having to drive all the way out of state for an emergency Mary was spared the details of. Her babysitter arrived only moments prior to Catalina’s departure. For the entire day, Mary was allowed to watch cartoons, play all the video games she wanted and they ordered pizza with the generous amount of cash Mary received from her mother in the woman’s haste to leave.
An hour past midnight, Mary received another call. Her mother sounded tired at her receiving end. Her first question was to ask how she was doing, to which Mary simply responded with a request for her to come home.
Catalina laughed fondly and told her she would be there soon.
‘Soon’ turned into two hours. Mary knew this for certain because she waited and watched the clock tick. She couldn’t find it in her to do anything else.
When her mother finally arrived, she wasn’t alone. A child - one around Mary’s age - held her hand, partially hiding behind Catalina once they spotted Mary. Mary was vaguely able to remember them from gatherings and high school reunions of her mother’s she’d attended. They never spoke much from what she remembered, and they definitely were not doing so now.
“I am so sorry, mi vida.” Her mother said. She looked like she aged another ten years during the time she was gone. “I had to get the paperwork done today so we could save the trouble of going back and forth for it.”
Mary blinked. “Paperwork?”
Instead of answering, Catalina kneeled down, gently guiding the child forward. They timidly obeyed. “Catherine, do you remember my daughter Mary?”
Catherine, their name appeared to be, nodded. Their deep blue eyes were set wide, giving Mary the impression that they were meant to permanently look like a deer in the headlights.
“Hi.” Mary said, remembering her manners. “I’m Mary Trastámara.”
Instead of speaking up, Catherine simply responded with another nod. Mary frowned.
“Can you talk?” She asked, earning a disapproving look from her mother.
“Why don’t both of you go to bed?” Catalina said, quickly ending the brief meeting. “We’ll talk about this in the morning.”
“Catherine is staying?” Mary asked her, confusion evident in her tone. “Do the parents know? It’s late.”
Catalina suddenly looked pained, and Catherine immediately started crying. They threw their arms around Catalina’s neck, the woman quick to reciprocate the hug. She whispered to the child, speaking so low Mary couldn’t catch a word of what was spoken.
Mary lingered awkwardly, unmoving from the spot she stood. She glanced at the babysitter on the couch once, wondering how she was still able to sleep past all the loud sobbing.
After a moment, Catalina seemed to remember Mary’s presence. Amidst all the exhaustion, she smiled.
“Mary, I’ll explain everything to you tomorrow, okay?”
“But Mamá-”
“Good night.” Catalina insisted, voice firm. “Dulces sueños mi bebé.”
That was that. Mary turned to leave, more confused by the scene she’d witnessed than anything else. She wasn’t sure if she was meant to be upset. Her mother leaving so early in the morning simply left her with questions, and at the moment, the abnormality of the situation caused her curiosity to grow. On top of it all, she was also a little concerned.
Mary still failed to sleep. She lay in bed for a long time, even long after she heard the door to both the guest bedroom and her mother’s bedroom open and close. It didn’t stay quiet for long,- the silence was once again distubed at the sound of the old bedroom door creaking open. Mary instantly left her bed, wishing to seek out the disturbance.
The hallway was dimly lit. When Mary peered down the bannister, she saw that the kitchen lights were on. She briefly considered waking her mother before shrugging off the idea and proceeded to trudge down the stairs.
When she passed the living room, she saw that a blanket was thrown onto her babysitter, the woman still snoozing away blissfully.
Someone was sitting alone in the kitchen when Mary arrived. Catherine, unsurprisingly, was there - perched on a chair, staring off into nothingness.
Not wanting to surprise her, Mary cleared her throat to announce her presence. She half-expected the child to startle and attempt to hide or run away, but instead they simply looked up and blinked tiredly at Mary, eyes downcast in deep sorrow.
Mary wasn’t an empath by any means, but she knew sadness anywhere.
“You’re… staying with us for a while, aren’t you?” She asked cautiously. Catherine gave her the slightest of nods at that.
Mary pulled back a chair across from Catherine and stood behind it. “I do this sometimes too. Whenever I feel sad.” Mary gestured to the table. “Ice cream always helps.”
Catherine didn’t react. They traced the pattern on the table with a finger, gaze faraway.
Mary was starting to think she couldn’t ever get them to speak. “Would you like to have some ice cream with me?”
Hesitation, then a nod. That was all the confirmation she needed to pick out two bowls and scoop up generous helpings of ice cream into them. She returned the carton of delicious frozen dessert back into the freezer before passing a bowl to Catherine. The bowl was blue. Blue seemed to be Catherine’s colour, she thought.
Catherine ate slowly. Mary didn’t try talking to them anymore after that, simply accompanying them in the gloom of the night.
When they were both ready to return to their beds, Catherine wished her good night and asked Mary to call them Cathy.
2.
Two pairs of preteen eyes gazed out the living room window. A large, heavily decorated truck was parked outside, its driver merrily ringing a bell to attention.
Cathy plopped down onto their rear and sighed.
“Can we still get ice cream even if we’re grounded?”
Mary stayed unmoving as she spied on the truck outside.
“I don’t see why not.”
“But we’re not allowed to leave the house.”
Mary pursed her lips in thought. “We could get him to come here.”
“We’re not allowed to invite boys in, remember? Mamá said-”
“That’s not what I mean.” She said quickly before Cathy could start summarising the extremely awkward talk the two recently had to have with their mother. “If you have a euro-”
“We can’t bait him to come close. It just won’t work.” Cathy reasoned. For a moment, Mary thought they were about to explain how people don’t chase money around like cartoon characters. “Besides, we’ll have to go out to plant the bait.”
Mary groaned. “Well, we can’t get him to come ov-” She paused, squinting, “Oh, he’s gone.”
Cathy stood up to peer back out the window. “Huh. So he is.”
“No popsicle then.” Mary sighed. Her sibling turned to her, seeming to remember something.
“We do have ice cream in the refrigerator.”
If anyone was watching them, they’d say the two children had never scrambled away from the window so fast as they raced for the kitchen. They kept pushing each other aside for a whole minute before Mary won and was able to pull a carton out.
Peace was once again restored once the siblings started digging into their treat, both eating out of a red and blue bowl respectively. Mary understood why people always seemed to have designated colours for their children now that she had a sibling to share everything with.
“Y’know. I’ve never been grounded before.” Mary said, lifting a spoonful of ice cream to her lips. “This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t try to erase me.”
Cathy jabbed their spoon at Mary’s direction. “It was labelled ‘big mistakes’!” They argued playfully. “Who labels their erasers anyway?”
“I have two, one for small mistakes and one for big mistakes.” Mary explained, as if this would help her case.
Cathy perked up at this, actually looking flattered. Though the way they positioned the ice cream on their spoon looked suspiciously akin to a catapult.
“Are you calling me a small mistake?”
The mischievous glint in their eyes told Mary everything she needed to know as she rescued her bowl and ducked under the table.
3.
At the sound of the front door opening, Cathy closed their book and made their way downstairs. It was past their curfew, and Catalina wasn’t home from work yet.
Mary was at the front door, pulling off her boots in harsh tugs. Once they were off, she froze in place for a moment, seeming deep in thought,- before proceeding to toss the expensive-looking shoes into the closest wall.
Cathy watched the boots drop to the floor harmlessly. They raised an unimpressed brow.
“You know I have to tell Mamá you came home late.” Cathy said, oblivious to their sister’s current situation.
Mary glared at them.
“Mind your own business.”
Cathy didn’t budge.
“Why were you late?’
Dragging her hands across her face, Mary gave Cathy another glare and made her way to the kitchen. Even with her stockinged feet, she managed to make thumping noises as she stamped her foot. Sensing the negative temperament, Cathy followed.
Mary was already filling in two bowls of ice cream. It had become a habit of hers to immediately bulldoze through cartons after cartons of it anytime she walked through the front door in a temper. And with Mary being Mary, she was one of the most short-tempered people Cathy had ever met. So this happened all too often.
“Hermana.” She said, handing the blue bowl with an elegant letter ‘C’ painted on it to Cathy. Cathy took it and waited for Mary to sit before joining her.
Mary immediately began her rant unprompted. It was a pretty basic story, in Cathy’s opinion. She spoke of the boy she’d had her eyes on in school for a while. They’d started seeing each other, that evening seeming to be their first official date. It didn’t take long for Mary to realise that he was simply interested in what she had to offer, not she herself as a person. With him asking her for the third souvenir of the night, it quickly became apparent where his true motives lay.
“He’s a jerk.” She grumbled through the treat. “I’m never dating boys ever again.”
Cathy wiggled their brows scandalously. “Are you telling me something, Hermana?”
Mary snorted into the bowl. “Shut up.”
A laugh, and Mary found herself engulfed in a hug.
Cathy wrapped her arms tighter once Mary returned the embrace. Their sister’s lips curled into the slightest of smiles.
4.
One Saturday morning, Cathy was greeted with the sight of Mary coming into their room. She had two bowls with her, and Cathy didn't need to look into them to tell what the contents were.
“What’s this for?” They asked, accepting theirs without question.
“You know what it’s for, Hermana.”
Cathy tilted their head.
"I actually don't."
Mary slid into bed next to her, careful not to drop her ice cream.
"It's your mother's birthday."
"Oh."
"She was Mamá's best friend. That's why you're my sibling."
Cathy nodded, unspeaking. Ever since the day they were brought to live with Mary and Catalina, they often found the subject of their parents' tragic death difficult to talk about. Mary's seen them cry several times - but Cathy, she soon realized, always had trouble talking about their feelings.
Catalina found them someone to talk to, realizing that both her and Mary were not equipped to be the ones to deal with someone in Cathy's situation. They supported them the best they could, and over time, things got better. It has been several years since Catalina first brought her godchild into their home.
Mary, while being an explosive short-fuse, had the same kind heart her mother possessed. While it did take several complications and conflicts between the two children, they were able to become a family.
"Do you want to talk about it, Hermana?"
Cathy shook their head. "Not really." They answered in a small voice.
"That's okay." Mary said, shuffling closer. She stretched her arm out, and Cathy carefully placed their bowl down before willingly crashing into their sister's side. They felt Mary's arm wrap around her, the other still holding her own bowl of ice cream. The two stayed that way for a while, with Mary casually eating her ice cream while ignoring the dampness on her shoulder.
"That's going to melt soon." Mary pointed out after a while, gesturing to Cathy's abandoned treat.
Her sibling chuckled wetly, clutching Mary's sweater as if afraid she'd pull away. "It's ok, I don't mind ice cream soup."
Mary shrugged, patting her sibling's head with a spoon. "Suit yourself."
5.
Mary waited impatiently at her driver's seat. It took everything in her to not push in the tempting button at the middle of the driving wheel. It wouldn't have accomplished anything, she was well aware of that - but perhaps it would bring her a sense of satisfaction.
Finally, Cathy emerged from the school building. They spotted Mary's car almost immediately, quickly rushing to the passenger side door.
"Thank the lord. I thought I might have to un-adopt you."
Cathy rolled their eyes at the overused joke. "I got held up, sorry."
"How was finals?" Mary asked, already steering them away from the campus grounds.
"I think it went well." Cathy said cheerfully. "I am positive I won't fail."
Mary scoffed. "Of course you won't. A bookworm like you. I didn't have to deal with not seeing you leave your room for weeks just so you could fail."
"And now you have to deal with too much of me." Cathy grinned. "Feeling the love, Hermana."
It was now Mary's turn to roll her eyes. "You're insufferable, you know that."
"I do try." Cathy pulled on their seatbelt, having forgotten to do so in all the light-hearted banter. "So where are we getting ice cream?"
"Who says we're getting ice cream?"
Cathy's face fell. "We're not getting ice cream?"
"Ice cream because you completed finals?" Mary deadpanned. "Anyone can do that."
"But I-"
They fell silent, looking absolutely crushed. Mary maintained a stony expression as she drove, avoiding looking at her sibling lest she lost her composure.
They arrived home soon enough, and it was only after the car was carefully parked when Mary finally looked at Cathy. To her surprise, their eyes were bloodshot, with tears pooling on the surface of their scleras.
Mary knew the sensitive soul her sibling is. They were always such a silent crier.
"Hey, come on. Let's go inside."
Cathy nodded, moving stiffly as they unclicked the seatbelt and followed after Mary.
As they entered the house, the two were greeted by the sight of an elaborate banner hung from the ceiling, with the word 'congratulations' written in bright bold letters. Cathy gaped at it in surprise, Mary stepping aside to watch their expression.
"You're such an asshole." They said after a moment. Mary gestured to herself, welcoming the title bestowed upon her.
"Mamá is waiting in the kitchen."
The siblings made their way to the kitchen, the very space in the house where their first bond was formed and continued to grow over the years. Catalina began taking out a few ice cream containers at the sight of her children, placing them on the island along where a large spread was prepared. There were various toppings for ice cream arranged nearly on the table, followed by an assortment of cut-up fruits to enjoy with the frozen treat.
"What would you like, mi corazon?"
At this, the collected tears finally left Cathy's eyes. They slid down the teenager's face and dribbled messily onto their vest. Catalina left her position instantly, cupping her child's face and pulling them into a hug.
"Mi dulce, what is the matter?" She questioned worriedly. Upon not receiving an answer, Catalina turned to Mary.
"I pretended finishing finals wasn't a big deal." Mary shrugged.
Catalina gave her a warning look. Cathy simply laughed, hugging their godmother tighter.
Mary grinned under the force of her mother's wrath. "I'm grounded, aren't I?"
+1
“We can’t give it ice cream. Eggs were used in ice cream.” Cathy said, taking the carton away from Mary.
“You don’t know if its family that is in the ice cream. It’s probably not.” Mary argued.
“But it’ll still be eating its kind!”
“Well, what do you want me to do?”
Cathy thought for a minute. “We could have gelato.”
“What? Why?”
“There’s no yolk used in gelato.”
Mary stepped back, holding the small grey chick close to her chest. “Where do we even get gelato?
“We could ask Madrina to drive us to a place.”
“I can’t tell her I brought a chick into the house.”
“It’s a gosling.”
“Whatever.” Mary kicked at the spotless porcelain floor. “She’ll tell me to put it back where I found it.”
“You can’t hide it forever.” Cathy told her reasonably. “Goslings grow up into geese, and geese honk -”
Catalina chose that exact moment to walk in, oblivious to her daughter’s plight. “Hola mis amores.” She said casually as she went through a drawer, pulling out several utensils. “What are you both up to?”
Mary gave Cathy a warning look, one that Cathy would soon realise was very much identical to Catalina’s own. The gosling had disappeared, though the suspicious lump at the front of Mary’s shirt was difficult to ignore.
“Nothing, Mamá.”
Catalina placed down the fork she was holding. “With you, nothing is always something .” She squinted. “What’s in your shirt?”
“The child shifted on her feet awkwardly. “Uhh-”
“Mary?”
Her daughter sighed. She covered her chest with her arms and turned the lump away from view. “I found a chick.”
“What?” Catalina sounded extremely surprised. “Chick? Chica? Is it someone’s daughter?”
Cathy snickered, earning an instant glare from Mary.
“No! A chick. A bird baby.” Mary dipped her head in embarrassment. In the short time they’d been living together, she was sure Cathy had already been able to prove themself smarter than Mary herself. Cathy was better at words, they always knew what to say in every situation.
“Hermosa, let me see.”
Mary relented. She pulled the gosling out of her shirt and held it out to Catalina. As expected, her mother immediately told her to return it to where she found it.
“We can keep Cathy, but not this duck?” She grumbled, her temper quickly rising.
“Gosling.” Cathy corrected her.
“Shut up!”
Cathy stepped back as if they’d been bitten. Tears quickly emerged, and Cathy blinked repetitively in a futile attempt to keep them back.
Catalina looked between the two children, seeming troubled with whom she should comfort first. She made her decision quickly enough, asking Cathy to wait for her while she took Mary out to the living room.
“Mary.” Catalina said once they were both seated. The gosling nestled itself comfortably on Mary’s lap. “We talked about this. Cathy is staying with us.”
Mary’s angry gaze didn’t waver. “For how long?” She muttered spitefully. “They don’t belong here.”
Catalina closed her eyes and took a deep breath before responding.
“It’s only been a week, mi vida. Could you give it more time?”
“I don’t want to.” The little girl grumbled. “I don’t want them here.”
“Can you tell me why?” Her mother asked patiently.
“I don’t like it!” Mary fumed. “I have to share everything now. People are mean to them at school and I had to keep babying them, I have to share my friends with them because they can’t make their own, teachers are always pairing me with them now and won’t let me pick my own partners because no one else wants to be with them,- and they always have your attention-”
Her mother listened patiently, uninterrupting.
“It’s not fair.” She muttered. “I never asked for a brother or a sister or a sibling .”
Catalina sighed helplessly. “You’re right, mi vida. I’m sorry.”
Mary looked at her in confusion. “You are?”
Catalina nodded, tucking a stray curl behind Mary’s ear. “I’m sorry it’s all so unfair. I wish I could make it easier for you and Cathy.”
“Why can’t you?”
“The right choice isn’t always the easiest choice, mi vida.” Her mother shifted, pulling her closer. Mary, now feeling less enraged, allowed the contact, letting her mother hug her from the side. “When I got the call, I was given the option to take Cathy in as my own. I could’ve said no, but I didn’t. It was the right choice, it was the best choice. I knew it was a difficult one. I was ready for that. I wish I could’ve given you the choice too, and I’m sorry I didn’t.”
Mary nodded against Catalina’s arm. “That’s okay Mamá.”
“Can I ask you something, hermosa?”
Her daughter hummed her confirmation, stroking the cosy looking gosling on her lap.
“Would you say no if I let you choose?”
At that, Mary was stunned into silence for what felt like a long time. She tried to remember the life she had before Cathy came along. It had only been a few days, not even close to half a month, and yet it felt like Cathy had been with them for quite a while.
She remembered the days when she’d be home alone with a babysitter that barely cared about spending time with her. She only had her mother, and Catalina was often busy at work to support the both of them. Ever since Cathy joined their household, she wasn’t alone at home anymore. She had someone to watch movies and do homework with. When Cathy spent a suspiciously long time in the bathroom, she found that she never minded that either.
Her heart only wanted to make things better for Cathy - because no matter how much she tried to deny it, she did care for this child. She also had someone to share her ice cream with. It was nice to share her ice cream. Mary never minded that part.
“I won’t say no, Mamá.”
Catalina hugged her with both her arms this time, not letting go without leaving a peck on her cheek. “Thank you.”
Mary quirked up her nose, wiping where her mother had kissed her. Her mother watched in amusement.
“Do you think it has a family too?” Mary asked, picking up the gosling. It honked unhappily at being disturbed.
“I think so. Would you like to go look for it?”
“Yes, but-” Mary hesitated. “Mamá?”
“Yes, mi amor?”
“Can we go for gelato first?”
Catalina smiled, leaning in to peck her daughter’s forehead. Mary was quick to dodge it. “Of course, querida.”
As her mother left to start the car, Mary gently lifted the gosling, letting it climb onto her shoulder and perch there clumsily. During the short time she had with it, she was certain she would miss it once they had to return it to wherever it strayed from.
Mary was the one to invite Cathy along, poking her head into the kitchen to where the child was sitting by themself on the floor. “Do you want to come? We’re going to find the gosling’s family after some gelato.”
Cathy looked up, surprised at the invitation. They stood up immediately, following Mary and Catalina out the door. When they slid into the back seat, Mary joined them instead of taking her usual place at the front.
“All ducks and children buckled up and ready to go?” Catalina called out in a sing-songy voice, already pulling out of the drive.
“Gosling.” Cathy corrected Catalina before they could stop themself. They wringed their fingers nervously. “Sorry.”
“It’s alright, Cathy.” The godmother said with a laugh.
“Thank you, Madrina.”
Mary nudged them. “It’s Mamá.” She corrected her sibling.
“Honk.” The gosling sounded in agreement.
