My Fake Fiance's Brother

"Sorry, lady. Your card declined." The girl at the counter says, not even looking at me as she hands back my card. Something on the screen in front of her showed that I'm too poor to buy a coffee and too poor to be looked at. I sigh and turn around to do the walk of shame out of the small coffee shop next to the hospital. A few people throw me pitiful glances, but most act like I don't even exist. Soon enough, I won't so... fair enough. I hoped I could buy the coffee before the p*****t for my doctor's visit gets processed, but I must have consumed all my luck in another life, because I had to pay half of this month's salary just for that cocky asshole that looks horrible in white to tell me that I'm going to die. No, I am being unfair. He said that he has good news. My disease has a treatment. One that would allow me to live a long, happy life. The problem is that my shitty health insurance doesn't recognize that treatment because it was experimental until a few years ago. And since I am now registered with an autoimmune disease with a funny name, I can not apply for another insurance without spending a ton of money. I look at the sky and feel like screaming: I don't even have money for a cup of coffee! "Ava? How's your friend?" Lili asks as soon as I entered the house. It's warmer than usual inside, so that means she baked something. Might as well eat only cake if I'm not going to need this body for much longer. "My friend?" I ask, confused. My head still spinning from the doctor's visit. "Is she ok?" Lili asks, peaking her head from the kitchen, with a worried expression. "Oh, yes. She is fine." I finally remember I told her I'm going to the hospital to visit a friend. She needs to worry about her life, not mine. When I was her age, I used to wake up every few hours to check on our mom to see if she's still breathing. Sometimes I wished she wouldn't, so the nightmare would finally be over, but then I would reach her bed and see her pale face and cry. I loved her so much, seeing her slowly die was the worst thing. "Ava!" Lili's voice pulls me out from the dark memories. "Yes." "Do you want a piece of gingerbread?" "Give me all the messed up ones. You can take the rest to school tomorrow. Show off your baker's skills." "Those were supposed to be gingerbread bells." She hesitantly puts the plate in front of me. "Don't laugh." "I will eat those. I would prefer you are eighteen before you start eating them anyway." "Ava!" "What? I didn't laugh!" "They are bells!" Lili shouts as I look at the plate full of gingerbread deformed d***s that sits ostentatiously in front of me. "However you want to call them, I think the gingerbread men are upset they lost those. Some of the gingerbread ladies will be too." I smirk as I bite into one, making Lili throw her hands in the air and return to her crafting table, totally ignoring me. Once alone in my room, I allow myself to be miserable for an hour. An hour exactly as I need to go to work soon. My mother died of this disease. There was no treatment back then and even if it was, my father barely earned enough to keep us afloat even though he worked two jobs. I used to wonder if he worked a lot because he had no choice or because he didn't want to see the love of his life in that state. By the end, he wouldn't even walk in the bedroom if the lights were on. He would just sit in the dark and hold her hand whenever he could. When we lost her, we lost him too. Lili was too young to understand when he vanished. She searched for him on the internet, but she never found any trace except for the bank account with an automatic p*****t each month and a letter saying that he was sorry, but we look too much like her. Two years ago, the payments stopped and a letter from a clinic somewhere on the other side of the country announced us that he was dead. Overworked himself to an early grave to be with her. "I will never allow myself to love like that." I catch myself saying out loud in the empty room. Since then, I have been the legal guardian of Lili. The only good thing in my life. The only thing that makes me smile. The only thing worth waking up and going to work for. I had her tested for that disease as soon as I saved enough money for it. I needed to know. And the relief I felt when everything came back negative drowned the doctor's words: fifty percent chance. One in two... One in two sisters inherited this curse. And I'm glad it's me. The alarm goes off and my pity party needs to come to an end as my boss is a very unforgiving lady. But, Christmas is in two days, everybody has family coming to town and the tips are wonderful when the cousin that you are trying to impress looks over your shoulder when you pay. "You look like ass." Tina looks me up and down before shaking her head. "I feel even worse, so thanks for the compliment." I say as I throw myself on the sofa, ready to count my tip money. I have to get Lili a Christmas present, so I cross my fingers. "You need a break. Pulling doubles for a week straight during the holiday season is suicide." "Are you going to pay for a spa day?" "No, but I am going to invite you to my Christmas party. Maybe a Christmas miracle is coming your way." Tina proudly declares like she found the solution to all my troubles. "Can't. I'm working an event and then spending the day with Lili." "Fine. Then the New year. We are going to have a street party. People will bring some food, some drinks. No pressure. And I know Lili will go to her first New year party this year, so no excuse." Tina doesn't give me time to answer before sending me the address and deciding I will bring some of Lili's brownie bites. "Ok. Ok. f**k it. But I am warning you I need and I plan to get hammered." "I have a feeling a New Year's miracle is heading your way." Tina cheerfully declares. "You said it was a Christmas one a second ago." "Well, the Universe is insistent even though you are a Grinch. Be grateful." I don't feel like arguing with her endless optimism, so I wave her goodbye and rush to leave, hopefully in time to get Lili's gift. I may not believe in miracles, but God knows I need one right now. I need to live one more year. One more, so Lili goes off to college. So my sweet little sister isn't thrown into foster care. So, Universe, if you have a miracle waiting for me, make it fast! * * * Somewhere in the Universe, two men facing each other at the dinner table decorated with gold and cristal sneeze while their grandmother reminds them that a sneeze means someone far away calls out their name.