This is Part 3 of Brotherly Love written and contributed by Karen Fix.
“Oh come on Marcus, it’s not like I’m not doing my share around here and I don’t think the barn would go belly up just because I missed a few days of teaching, besides you’re here to fill in and…”
“See? This is what I mean!” He said cutting her off, “You have no sense of responsibility, you seem to think that you can just goof off when ever you want and expect me to pick up after you, well guess what? It doesn’t work that way. I gave you this job for three reasons.” Becoming annoyed with his sister’s truculent attitude, he could see she needed a major attitude adjustment and he was just in the mood right now. He sat on the edge of his oak desk dissecting her with his eyes, arms folded.
“First, you’re going to school, and I know it’s expensive. I knew the extra money would help you out a great deal. Second, the job would also give you a sense of independence and self esteem to one day make it on your own. It’s a big harsh world out there, and I won’t always be around to make sure you’re looking after yourself. Finally, I see a potential in you to become a prominent big time rider. You have what it takes to become an Olympic caliber rider one day, but you just don’t see that. You used to have such a strong drive and commitment to become a better rider. You even earned your level 1 teaching certificate so you could teach, but lately all I’ve been doing is watching you slowly regressing. It’s like you don’t give a damn! You’ve totally lost any desire to achieve anything… including your grades young lady! You have always been an ‘A’ student, but lately they’ve just flown right out the window! Don’t you want to succeed in life any more? Don’t you want to become a Vet; or was that just another one of your passing fancies? Well believe you me, Missy, I DO want to see you succeed but you damn well won’t if you keep going the way your going and if you think for one minute that I’m just going to idly stand by and watch you piddle your life away. Then, you’re sadly mistaken, young lady, because that WON’T happen… not while I’m around and still you’re care giver. You understand me?”
She just sat on the sofa listening to one of the harshest scolding she ever heard come out of her brother’s mouth. She was seeing a side to Marcus she had never encountered before, and she didn’t at all like it, ‘He sounds just like daddy and his damned sermons’ she thought as she tried to keep her eyes dry. He sat on his desk and studied Shannon’s reactions and how she was beginning to pout and squirm a bit. He knew he was beginning to get through to her, but he thought he’d let her squirm a bit longer before he turned up the heat.
“Is anything I’m saying, lil lady, getting through to you?”
She just looked up at him and nodded in agreement. She wanted so much to just retaliate but she couldn’t. Everything he had said to her so far was the truth even though she didn’t want to accept it, and given the mood he was in, at the moment she felt it wasn’t the best time to become argumentative with him. She knew what was to come next was inevitable. He didn’t like raking his little sister over the coals like this but in his mind her future was at stake, and he wasn’t going to let her foolishly throw it away. He stood up and went behind his desk. She nervously watched his every move.
