The Shine Journal

Edith will never love you like that Gary

by

Elliot Andreopoulos

“I love you Edith,” Gary says.  He nervously bites his lip and taps his feet under the kitchen table.  His love has been plaguing him for two years and is only getting stronger with time.  She is the trophy wife he would be proud to show off and grow old with, but she does not have the slightest clue he feels that way towards her. 

“I love you too Gary,” Edith says, smiling at him. She takes a bite out of her sandwich and pours herself a glass of orange juice.  Gary stares at her with a pained expression, his yearnings on the verge of explosion. “Why are you looking at me like that?”“Oh sorry, just spaced out.”
       
“What are you thinking about? Looks like you’re agonizing about a girl.”

“Maybe.”

“I know you too well. Why did you break up with Bernice?  It seemed like you two got along well.”

“It just didn’t work out.”

“There has to be a reason.  I really thought she was the one for you.”

“It’s another girl,” Gary sighs.  He wishes he could tell her she’s the one hindering him from being with other women. 

“Who is she?  Did I ever see her?”
       
“You see her every day.”  He doubts she will get the clue, because their love is so unfeasible.
       
“See her every day?”  She scours her memory, unable to conjure someone her brother would be interested in.  “It can’t be Myra.  She’s not your type.”

“Definitely not Myra!  How could you think that?”  He is offended and it shows in his tone.

“I know, but what other girl do I see every day?”

“Look deeper.”         

His parents adopted Edith when she was two and he was five.  He is certain that if she was adopted by another family and they met, they’d be lovers.  It doesn’t make sense to him that their love is forbidden because they share the same parents. 

“Look deeper?”

“You know her better than anyone.”

“Now I know you’re messing with me,” she says.  “Is it Brenda?  I know her best, but it can’t be her.”

“We both know I’d never go for her.”

“Then who?  I’m not playing these games with you.  You’re twenty five years old, if you don’t want to tell me, just say you’re not comfortable.”

He thinks she may feel the same way towards him, but is too afraid to release her feelings in fear of no reciprocity.  She does give him romantic signs.  She always plays with her hair when they have an intimate conversation, which is one of the biggest indications of a crush.  She used to fart and be vulgar around him, but now she acts ladylike, like she is trying to impress him.  She even laughs at his lame jokes.  This evidence gives him unwarranted confidence and makes him believe it’s his duty to tell her.

“It’s you.”

She stares at him strangely.  “Me?”
       
“I know it’s crazy, but we’re meant for each other.  We share more than just a brother and sister bond.  Sometimes I think you love me romantically, sometimes I’m not sure, but I always do.  I can’t live like this anymore because I want us to be more than what we are.  You have to know how I feel, especially if there’s a chance you feel the same way towards me.”

Edith tries to speak, but nothing comes out of her mouth.  What her brother told her was too much to handle.  Sure, they weren’t related, but God, they couldn’t be together.  It seems inconceivable for him to consider her anything more than a sister and feels disgusted he thinks about her in such a manner.  “Gary,” she pauses, unable to form a coherent thought.  “It’s wrong, just wrong.”

“It’s not wrong!  We love each other!”

“Why did you do this to me?  You messed up our whole relationship, I don’t know if I can look at you the same way.”

“Don’t do this to me Edith.”
       
“What do think our neighbors would think if we dated?  What about mom and dad?”

“Who cares what the world thinks?  We’ll have each other.”

“I don’t think you understand that I don’t love you romantically.”

Gary runs to the knife draw and holds a steak knife to his throat.  “Say you love me Edith!  I can’t live without you!”

“Gary please don’t hurt yourself!  Don’t be stupid!”  She never knew how emotionally disturbed he was until now.

“What do I have to live for if I can’t have you?” 

“I won’t tell mom and dad, I’ll forget you ever told me.  Please don’t hurt yourself.  I love you.  I just want things to go back to the way they were!”  Tears roll down her eyes, in fears of him seriously hurting himself.

He puts it to his neck, afraid to die, but wanting to make a point.

Bio: ELLIOT ANDREOPOULOS is currently unemployed and started writing to combat monotonous days.  He currently lives in New York with his family.  His fiction is forthcoming in Yellow Mama.

Motivation: My motivation came from a random thought if a brother loved his adopted sister in a romantic fashion.  It's not based off anything in my life.