There was a football game on the flat screen TV. Mexico - Venezuela*.The two girls must have been four-five years apart. The younger, maybe 10 or 8 or 12, had that tired sloppy walk of a young mom. Her pajama pants moping the floor as she crosses the public laundromat. A big pile on top of little arms, carrying cloths from a washing machine to a drier. She was sitting patiently on the yellow chairs next to me.
Big sister storms in, wearing basketball shorts and a spaghetti strap top. She says something in Spanish, bumping her leg against the younger one's and causes her cellphone to fall on the floor. I think I heard her say "you're fat", although that would make absolutely no sense at all.
I was reading a book and calculating the remaining washing time but I wasn't really doing either. All I could think about, was universal sisterhood. About siblings dynamics and how we, the firstborn, get nasty sometimes, drunk with power only because we were here first.
I was cool, hiding my interest in the most interesting laundry program available. Or maybe it depends where your dryer is. I'm sure there were a couple more short cycle or delicate dramas going around in the 24/7 florescent space.
Mexico won 4-0. I put my legs on the cart, and she puts her legs up too. lying on the other chairs.
16 minutes later , older girl pops and asks in the sweetest voice, if little girl wants to go up. She doesn't. Wise little girl, she wasn't going to let her be the bigger person now.
when I picked my dry warm items, I passed by the girls. All of a sudden I hear a small voice: "Byyeee".
I answer with a surprised bye, smiling (unintentionally) at the older one. All I could walk away with, besides an Ikea bag full of cleaner stuff, was the hope she thought her little sister was really awesome, making older friends in the Giant laundromat.
*I am still thinking in Celsius, Meters and Football, but yes - I realize soccer is the more appropriate name in this part of the planet.
Big sister storms in, wearing basketball shorts and a spaghetti strap top. She says something in Spanish, bumping her leg against the younger one's and causes her cellphone to fall on the floor. I think I heard her say "you're fat", although that would make absolutely no sense at all.
I was reading a book and calculating the remaining washing time but I wasn't really doing either. All I could think about, was universal sisterhood. About siblings dynamics and how we, the firstborn, get nasty sometimes, drunk with power only because we were here first.
I was cool, hiding my interest in the most interesting laundry program available. Or maybe it depends where your dryer is. I'm sure there were a couple more short cycle or delicate dramas going around in the 24/7 florescent space.
Mexico won 4-0. I put my legs on the cart, and she puts her legs up too. lying on the other chairs.
16 minutes later , older girl pops and asks in the sweetest voice, if little girl wants to go up. She doesn't. Wise little girl, she wasn't going to let her be the bigger person now.
when I picked my dry warm items, I passed by the girls. All of a sudden I hear a small voice: "Byyeee".
I answer with a surprised bye, smiling (unintentionally) at the older one. All I could walk away with, besides an Ikea bag full of cleaner stuff, was the hope she thought her little sister was really awesome, making older friends in the Giant laundromat.
*I am still thinking in Celsius, Meters and Football, but yes - I realize soccer is the more appropriate name in this part of the planet.
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2 comments:
Soccer no footbal I guess.
Me likee very much! :)
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