The Odd Sister Out

Baby Of The Family

When Pinto came storming into my room scowling and plopped himself onto Koshi's bed, I immediately knew something was wrong. I immediately put Dashi's tablet down. (I totally didn't steal it) and went over to him. 

"Pinto, what happened?" I asked, wrapping an arm around shoulder around him.

"I wish I didn't have a father." He muttered and buried his face into my chest.

"What did the Captain do to bother you?" I asked, absolutely taken aback. He'd never speak about the Captain that way, but he was too upset, so I just sat by him, rubbing his back in soft circles. He only shook his head. 

"Papa, my birth dad, tried to send a letter to Peso."

"And what did it say?" I knew about Peso and Pinto's father. Everyone did. He buried his face into my shoulder, which muffled the words.

"He's sorry about mom, but wants me with him. He wants me to leave Peso."

"No!" I immediately cried out, "You can't, you saw what he did with your siblings and your mother. He practically abandoned you! What-"

"Saumensch!" He cried with tears sparkling in his eyes, "I'm not going, okay!" But then his voice quivered, "I wish my father actually loved me."

"That might be true, I can't sugarcoat it." I said bluntly, and immediately regretted it. It didn't seem like something someone should say to comfort their baby brother, "but you've got Peso. He loves you, and he'll never let your father have you. A smile played at my lips, "And you have the Captain." He smiled too.

"The Captain?" He asked sarcastically. I brought him closer to me. Even in his darkest moments, he still wanted to crack jokes.

"Yes, Pendejo, the Captain. The one who cuts up all your food for you even when you insist you can do it yourself." I teased him back. He laughed, but became serious immediately.

"Saumensch," He fidgeted and snuggled into my chest, "I'm scared. What if he takes me?"

"He won't." I tried to console him, "I won't let him."

"Can you stay with me tonight?" He whispered into my ear.

"Yes." I breathed back. Without a doubt, I would stay with my baby Octo-Adopted brother, no matter what.
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"Are you two sure you're going to be alright in here?" The Captain asked for the fifth time, eyeing us with concern. We were staying in a little closet near the library for the night, after begging Dashi and Peso for hours to let us.

"Argh, Captain, they'll be fine." Kwazii, who was right behind the Captain, winked at him, "No kissing, you two." Pinto and I both looked at each other in disgust.

"Ew! Gross!" PInto pretended to retch.

"Never in a thousand years!" I agreed. 

"Gotcha, lil mateys!" Kwazii smiled and came back in, and offered both of us a hug, which we gladly took, "Sweet dreams, me hearties!"

"And don't stay up too late!" The Captain reminded, coming in behind Kwazii and scooping us both in his arms, "Sleep well, you two."

"OK! Goodnight Captain, goodnight Kwazii!" Pinto gave both of them a goodnight hug, and they left after turning the lights off. Once we both heard their footsteps recede, Pinto began whispering to me.

"Pendeja! You still awake?"

"They left five seconds ago, Saukerl, of course I'm awake."

"Good." His voice lowered for a second, "Saumensch? What was your own father like? Just curious." It was only an innocent question, but it got me. A huge lump began to form in my throat as I thought of my dad, kind, active, and rather immature for a grown man. Now he was paralyzed from the waist down by the accident. 

"He- he was special, Pendejo." I said shakily, "He didn't care that I acted like a boy. In fact, he didn't care I was born a girl to begin with, even though he was kinda hoping for a boy."

"Sounds like a nice dad." Pinto commented, I could hear the longing in his voice.

"You'd love him, Saukerl." I whispered, "Maybe one day, he could come, and you could meet him."

"That'd be nice, Pendeja." He sighed, "What happened to him?"

"Remember how Peso told you about the accident before Koshi and I came? He-" My voice broke, but I tried to control myself as best as I could as tears slowly began to form in my eyes, "He got hurt, and his spine was badly damaged along with many major organs. He's paralyzed from the waist down."

Pinto sounded aghast, "Saumensch, I- I'm sorry." He quickly hugged me as tightly as he could, and I held him back. We stayed like that for a good portion of the night, just two broken children holding each other together, and when the first rays of sunshine hit our eyes, miracles had happened, and all the old wounds were closing, as long as we had each other, we'd be fine.