"MY baby girl arrives today. I absolutely missed her." Henry muses.
"Speaking of arrivals, Aunt Cindy texted me today," Greg interjects. "She said to tell y'all that she will arrive three days before Gavin's wedding."
"What for?" Henry frowns.
"To help with preparations, I guess." Greg shrugs.
"She has friends who live nearby. She could stay in their houses." Henry grunts.
"Henry, come on. She's your sister. You have to forgive her for good." Shannel retorts.
"I wonder what type of sister says such obnoxious statements to her brother. Oh! I know, a bitter sister!" Henry reinstates.
"For which she's remorseful. She has apologised one too many times. You need to get past that." Shannel scolds.
"Shannel, I'd swallow the pill…except the pill is stuck in my throat." Henry persists.
"Dad, geez." Gavin intercedes. "It was three years ago. The pill is supposed to be digested and excreted by now."
"Well then, sorry to disappoint you." Henry maintains.
"Dad, are you angry because she blurted those statements? Or are you angry because those statements are true?" Gavin queries.
"For one, it wasn't in her place to say such."
"It was in whose place to say such then? You know she was plainly speaking facts. You and Mum knew what you were venturing into, but you still went ahead. Granny attested that she inquired about Mum's and your genotypes before your wedding but you shrugged off the question. You were completely aware of the act you were carrying out. The only thing Aunt Cindy did was remind you of the truth. The deed's been done." Gavin articulates.
Henry sighs. "Perhaps you are right. It's all good. I will bury the hatchet. You guys can let me rest now."
"Ah. At last." Shannel rolls her eyes.
"I'm going for a walk." Gavin announces.
Walking down the street, Gavin races his mind back to when his father had an altercation with his sister who doubles as their aunt.
*****
It was on Granny's ninetieth birthday. They had organized a small party for Granny, and family and friends had gathered from far and wide.
Aunt Cindy, Henry's sister, is the older sibling by two years. Although Granny had only two children, Aunt Cindy had always felt overlooked by their mum. It was no secret that Henry was their late mother's favourite, which was fair because Aunt Cindy always preferred their father to their mother.
Before their father's death about a decade ago, Aunt Cindy always attended to his requests before she even considered Grandma's. It was rather unfortunate that Grandad didn't pamper her the same way Grandma pampered Henry. Henry was always a mummy's boy from birth.
The party was fun, and everybody grooved. The next morning, they had all gotten busy cleaning the house and discussing the previous day's event.
"That party was a hit!" Aunt Cindy mused.
"Except for the part when I couldn't offer my friends the bottles of champagne I specifically bought for them." Henry cranked.
"My friends came earlier than your friends. I decided to give them the bottles of champagne as souvenirs." Aunt Cindy retorted.
"You should have asked for my permission. I bought them for my friends. I asked you if you wanted me to buy some for your friends too but you declined. You didn't have to disrespect me that way." Henry protested.
"My friends are your friends too. And it was mere champagne. Take it easy."
"If it was mere champagne, then you should have bought yours for your guests."
"What else would you have me say? The party is done and dusted." Aunt Cindy scoffed.
"Typical you. You won't ever admit your faults." Henry sneered.
"What are you insinuating?"
"I just wish you would use logic and be accountable sometimes." Henry sighs.
"You are calling me illogical? You want to talk about logic? Fine. All that logic you've got—what's it gotten you, huh? Two SS children! You knew damn well you and Shannel share the same genotype AS, but you still proceeded with the wedding. You'd call that logical? I remember vividly, mummy questioned you about that genotype issue when you engaged Shannel. Mummy had suspected but you shrugged her off. And mum, being the partial person that she is, indulged you—as usual! Now, see what's happened," Aunt Cindy illustrated quotation marks in the air. "Logic lord."
Henry's face was red with rage. "Wow! If it isn't the cat out of the bag. Who would have thought you were so happy about my downfall? Congratulations, I must say. Let me also use this medium to remind you that the only child you birthed is an infamous junkie. Maybe don't throw stones from a glass house next time, okay?"
"It's only a downfall if you didn't see it coming. Yours was planned, in your right state of mind for crying out loud! As for my child, I'm in the process of putting her in a rehabilitation centre. Her problem can be cured, unlike your kids' health."
"Of course. Except she absconds from rehab every time! You have put her in five rehabs now and she's not spent up to a month in any, nor is she progressing. I know you are bitter because I have more children than you. We all know how much you longed for a second child until your menopause hit."
"Don't ever, for a minute, think that you are better than me. Technically, we have the same number of children—one healthy child. Your first and last children are always in and out of the hospital. That makes Gem your only reliable child, so you are down to my level."
"Don't compare my responsible daughter to that addict daughter of yours. Don't you dare!"
"Both of you, stop this madness!" Granny had intervened, crying. "You are siblings. How could you utter such obnoxious comments towards each other? We are supposed to still be celebrating my birthday. Why are you making me sad the day after my birthday? What did I do to deserve this?" Granny sobbed.
"I'm sorry, mummy. I didn't mean to disrupt your happiness." Aunt Cindy apologised.
"Mummy, I could never intentionally hurt you. You know that. I'm so sorry." Henry complied.
The rest of that day had been rough. Granny had spent hours trying to restore peace between both of them. The rest of the relatives all walked on eggshells throughout that day. Nobody wanted to be entangled in the duel.
*****
Aunt Cindy had apologised for months to come. Although Henry tolerated her because Granny had pleaded that they don't keep grudges, everybody knew Henry never forgave her. Henry resents her and he is subtly malicious towards her.
Aunt Cindy's daughter and only child, Vera, was also there during the altercation. Probably, she was embarrassed. She had willingly gone to register herself in a rehabilitation centre after the altercation. She completed her program and came out clean for the first time. She never relapsed ever since. Vera is doing really well now. The altercation led to an achievement for Aunt Cindy, and that probably explains why she genuinely moved on from it.
Unacceptable that Aunt Cindy said atrocious statements that day, but Gavin was never angry at her for it. He felt that she was right. His parents had delved into their marriage fully aware of the consequences. They had hoped things wouldn't take the wrong turn. They had him first and they were distraught. They tried a second time and to their excitement, Gem was AA. They thought to try again, hoping it would be AS or another AA, but Greg had come bearing another SS chaos. They would have tried having a fourth child but the trio had been born through Caesarean Section. It is extremely risky to undergo a Caesarean Section more than three times, and that was why Henry and Shannel quit childbearing.
Gavin loves how his parents love themselves. He loves their intimacy, compatibility, and resilience. He hopes he has with Naomi what his parents share. But he also wishes their love didn't have to cost him and his brother so much pain. Their health towered over every part of their lives—academics, romance, hobbies, and careers. He knows that a part of his parents also regrets risking the possibility of sickle-cell children, but their regrets can't curb the pain Gavin and Greg go through. Gavin and Greg have to helplessly endure this burden for as long as they breathe, simply because their parents were too selfishly in love to consider the consequences.
He shakes his head. He can't hate his parents even if he tries. He will fight his SCD until the wheels fall off. He heads back home.