2.2 Slave for you

The very next day, something significant happened. Birdy, the oldest of the five siblings, was aging up into a young adult. Since she wanted to have an amazing last day before starting a job in the local hospital she had applied to during her last school year, she decided to celebrate on the summer festival, which happened to close the day after. Most of the town was present when Birdy became a young adult.

She had gotten tired of her long hair, because it always got in the way, so she decided to cut it and wear it straight. The clear cut gave her a determined look, which was exactly what she needed. 

The next morning, she got up super early and checked her work mails. There was, in fact, already one, from her girlfriend Sandra. She wished her the best of luck and told her she could achieve anything she wanted. 

Birdy had to think about Sandra’s words all day, and couldn’t even concentrate on work properly. Not that it was particularly on her first day, but she had been looking forward to it for years. And now that the big day was here, she could think about nothing but her girlfriend. They hadn’t seen each other for a few weeks now, and she missed her terribly. So she spontaneously called her up as soon as she got home, and invited her over. 

It was as if they had never been apart. Yet, wistfulness filled Birdy’s heart and mind. In a few hours, Sandra would leave again, and who knew when they had the time to meet again. Both were adults now, both had a job and not much free time. Something had to change if they wanted to make it together.

Then she had an idea.

Sandra was more than happy to accept Birdy’s proposal. She loved her girlfriend more than anything in the world, and the thought of being with her forever made her happier than she had ever hoped to be.

Why wait – they got married in the backyard there and then. 

The two girls didn’t want to stay in this house together, instead they planned to look around the neighborhood for a little place, big enough for the two of them. And maybe a third person, someday. 

Sandra knew of one house that was free, and they decided to check it out immediately. Little did they know that this would be the house they would be spending most of their life in. 

There was hardly any time for the family to digest the news – especially Anna was crushed about seeing her oldest daughter leave –, because Billy’s birthday into adulthood was already up. He hadn’t been much younger than Birdy, and had finished high school the same year as his sister.

Looking in the mirror, he nodded approvingly. This was what a future star looked like. Britney had already promised to keep an eye on him, and to publish small articles whenever possible. With the help of his soon-to-be journalist sister, it should be a piece of cake to become famous.

A star needed his own four walls, of course, so he moved out of his home as soon as possible. He would stay with Birdy and Sandra for a few weeks, since it sounded cooler to live in a shared house with two girls than staying with his parents and younger siblings. 

Britney continued expressing her thoughts in abstract pictures. They often had faces on it – human or not – that showed how she was feeling. After all, art was useless if there was no mental access for the people who looked at it. You had to know what the artist was trying to say.

Writing was different. Words were more distinct than colors and strokes of a brush, and they helped dealing with feelings and thoughts in a whole other way.

Feelings like the ones about her relationship with Hanfried. Even though he didn’t seem to be particularly interested in her character, but her body instead, she couldn’t help but feel attracted to him. He could be funny and make her feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. She felt like she would be completely on her own as soon as she sent him away, not having anybody who showed her that she was not worthless. 

What she didn’t know what that she was exchangeable to him. Britney was pretty, but there were plenty of other fish in the sea, or shapely girls on the beach next to the sea. Her mother, her sisters, lots of girls in his classes who were queuing up to go out with him… the list was long, and he was growing tired of her. She had to offer a lot more to him than just a shy kiss every now and then if she wanted to keep him interested.