entire morning and a good portion of the afternoon helping move his sister out of the guest apartment. She adamantly refused to stay, even after Georgette promised she wasn’t going to evict them from the property she technically owned. Whatever happened during her session the previous night lit a fire under Harmony. She was wearing a look of determination that Dave had not seen on her face before.
Almost all of the packing was paintings his sister had done. Harmony kept very few personal items—everything else she owned fit in one knapsack.
Dave attempted to convince her to move into their home for a few months, just until she was able to get on her feet. He was positive she would accept, it’s not as if she had anywhere else she could go. When he voiced his opinion he was met with defiance.
“I don’t need you,” she snapped.
“It’s not about needing, I just want to help—“
“You’ve done enough to help,” her tone oozed with sarcasm.
“Look, I know you blame me—“
“I do.”
“But what happened to dad is not my fault, Harmony.”
She turned to look at him with a false smile. “You think that’s why I’m mad at you?”
“Isn’t it?”
“No, dear brother, it is not.”
He was unable to get another word out of her for the rest of the day. June watched them with beady eyes from the kitchen window as they loaded up the last of Harmony’s things. When Dave accidentally caught his mother’s glare, she whipped the curtains shut, blocking them out once more.
“Where to?” Dave asked as his sister slid into the backseat of his fully packed car.
“Just drive. I’ll tell you when we are there.”
Dave sat silently, occasionally glancing in the mirror to check on his sister. She only spoke when telling him to turn. They wove their way toward the outer limits of Repo Ridge. They continued North for another fifteen minutes until Harmony spoke again.
“Here, on the right.”
Dave pulled into the small, sad looking strip mall that housed a roller skating rink when they were kids. That was gone—replaced with several small shabby-looking businesses. Only a few of them appeared functional; the rest of the spaces were empty, boarded up and festering with dilapidation. Dave curiously scanned the buildings until he saw a small sign for Psychotherapy—private practice.
“Do you want me to come in with you?”
Harmony shook her head as she moved to exit the car, but Dave reached back and stopped her. She ripped her arm away from his touch.
“Goodbye, Dave.”
“Goodbye? Harmony. Please, tell me where you are going. At least so I know you are safe.”
“Now you care?”
“I’ve always cared!”
“If that is true then why did you lie to me?”
“I don’t have an excuse. I really don’t.”
“I’ve always been a burden to you. I don’t want that anymore.”
“I’ve never thought of you in that way.”
“Why are you still lying?”
“What is it you want to hear?”
“I want you to admit the truth! I want you to say, Harmony you have wasted your life trying to be like me, someone who is not worthy of mirroring. I want you to say I am better than being your pathetic twin—that I can do more with my life! And now I’m going to.”
“I have always believed you were capable of doing anything you set your mind to, you know that. Have I not supported you all these years?”
“Maybe financially. I won’t ever forgive you.”
“Forgive me for what!?”
“Leaving me with them.”
“I could have done a lot worse! I could have left you in poverty. I could have moved away from this shit-hole. I could have let you rot in that mental hospital.”
“Well maybe you should have! Maybe I would have had a chance then.”
“Your immaturity and selfishness is duly noted.”
“Fuck you, Dave. You’re just pissed because you finally have to accept that you are no longer perfect.” “
I never said I was.”
“No, it was just the grandiosity, the emulation of perfection that you have reeked of all these years. Now someone is finally paying you back for all the times you got away. Now you get to suffer like the rest of us!”
Before he could respond she kicked open the door and jumped out. She began to walk away.
“Harmony!”
“Keep the paintings,” she tossed over her shoulder.
“Harmony!”
She ignored him.
“Where are you going?”
She paused and turned, “I’m going to start my life.”