Page 99 of A Game as Old as Time

“I don’t know. I guess, I guess I am just…I haven’t been on a stage since…Mom and---”

A warm, calming sensation engulfed her left hand. Melissa had moved over next to her and was now holding tight.

“Hails.” She squeezed. “Mom would be so proud of you.”

Melissa laid a photo, one Hailey did not remember packing in California, between them. Their mother’s smiling face after one of Hailey’s performances shined brightly, even in the dim room.

I miss her so much.

“I don’t know, Melissa. I just---”

“I do, Hails. And do you want to know how I know?” Her sister rubbed her shoulder. “Because I’m so proud of you.”

Really?

The words soothed her tension. And while she wanted to respond immediately, her mouth was still dry, and she was worried she might burst into tears if she spoke.

“Hails.” Her sister nestled next to her with the picture. “When we first moved to this town, I was…I was not in a good place.”

In a split second, Hailey’s unease returned.

“I’ve made some bad choices in my life. And for the longest time, I was, I was afraid to talk to you. To try and explain everything to you.”

You don’t need to explain, Melissa!

While Hailey wanted to speak, a mounting sob blocked her voice.

“Out of all the mistakes I made, though, the one that I regret the most...” She paused and looked down at the picture. “Was not coming home after Mom died. Not being there for you when you needed me. To help you get back on that stage and do what you were born to do.”

Her sister’s eyes lowered, filled with regret and sorrow.

“You see, Hails, when Dad asked me to come home, I was---I didn’t know what to do. He told me you were struggling, and I felt like he was turning to me for answers.”

Hailey was frozen. She had wanted to have this conversation for years but really had no idea how it would actually go.

“You needed Mom. She always had the answers, and I, I just couldn’t be her. I’ve regretted that moment for a long time. I started partying and drinking, just trying to forget about it all. But deep down, I blamed myself for you quitting theatre. I blamed myself for a lot of things.”

No, Melissa!

Hailey wanted to scream it at the top of her lungs, as she knew exactly where her sister was going with this.

It was not your fault!

It was something Hailey had been wanting to tell her since everything had happened. Since the night her sister had been raped by someone her father had trusted. She knew the weight her sister still carried from that night. The blame she placed on herself, no matter how manycounseling sessions she had attended.

“Melissa! It was not---”

Hailey felt a tight squeeze, then her sister threw her legs off the couch and hugged her.

“I know.”

That simple statement meant more to Hailey than any curtain call or award. It was something she had wanted to hear for years, and now, as she pulled back and stared at her sister, she knew it was something she wanted to hold on to forever.

For the first time since it all happened, she actually felt like she was seeing her sister again. Sure, she was older and sported a different hairstyle, but her eyes were the same. It was her sister. The one who, when they were young, had let Hailey sleep in her bed when she’d had nightmares. The one who would secretly eat her broccoli when their parents were not paying attention. This was her sister. The one she had laughed with, the one she had cried with.

“I know now that all you wanted was me, your big sister. No matter how many mistakes I made. No matter how screwed up I can be sometimes.”

Yes!

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