As I continued west on Interstate 70, I seethed in frustration. My birthday plans had to be placed on hold. Though the man was very angry I was kicking him out, he left my apartment without a fight.

I had been on the road for three hours now, and was passing the exit for my old hometown. Growing up with Emma had been extremely difficult. She was the head cheerleader of the Titans squad, and always seemed to have two or three boyfriends at the same time. She was only a year older, so I had to endure three full years in the same school together until she finally graduated.

She was always extremely slender, whereas I typically stayed around 250 pounds throughout my teenage years. Despite the fact that we were blood-related sisters, she always ignored me while in the presence of her friends. Many of my friends were even shocked to learn we were related. Most of my peers assumed we were distant cousins.

We couldn’t be more different from each other. While her lifelong goal was to someday become a model or an actress, my goals were more geared toward laws and politics. I admit it, I was a total nerd. Despite being surrounded by supportive friends however, I still struggled daily with depression.

As I drove down the freeway, my mind continued to stew over past grievances. I had purposefully blocked out my painful past, and hadn’t spoken to my sister in nearly ten years. Though we only lived three hours apart from each other, we lost touch after she got married to a preppy college boy while she was a sophomore in college. She and her new husband bought a house in our hometown of New Castle, whereas I ventured off and settled down in a Denver apartment.

For the first several years I received Christmas letters with pictures of her beautiful baby girl, but after a while even the Christmas letters stopped. I didn’t even let her know about my surgery. I asked mom and dad not to say anything to her, because I knew she would only give me a hard time about it.

I jolted and slightly swerved as my ringtone suddenly jarred me out of my reverie. Glancing at the screen, it was Aunt Alice again. I hit the answer button, and put the phone on speaker.

“Hey Alice.” I greeted the call, “I just passed New Castle, so I should be there in about an hour.”

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“I’m glad I reached you.” she sounded odd, “Turn around, and go to your parent’s house. They’re expecting you.”

“Oh? Did Emma get released?”

“No.” she took a deep breath.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just go to your parent’s.” she insisted and abruptly hung up.

I stared at the phone for a minute as I turned on my signal for the approaching exit. Aunt Alice had never been rude like that before. It was rather unnerving.

I pulled off the exit for the nearby town of Silt. Instead of hopping back on I-70, I decided to take the more scenic route along Highway 6. On my left I passed Coal Ridge High School, where I had spent four miserable years of my life. Nostalgia overwhelmed me as I neared the town limits of New Castle. Familiar sights along the dimly-lit road sent my mind veering back in time.

There were times I felt that Emma was gifted with such beauty that I would never be able to measure up to her. Just wait until she sees me now, I smirked. She probably won’t even recognize me. No longer was I the shy fat girl she had always known. Now I was a successful attorney with a gorgeous body.

I turned off onto 7th street, and headed into town. I followed along as it curved into Midland Avenue. Though it had been ten years since I had driven these roads, memories flooded back and I remembered the way home as if I had been driving it yesterday. As I turned into Aster Court, I recognized my father’s pickup in the driveway. The porch was lit despite the late hour, and I recognized my mother sitting on the porch swing as I pulled into the driveway.

“Stacy?” my mother breathed excitedly as she rushed toward me, “My sweet baby! I hardly recognize you!”

I smiled as I welcomed her embrace, “It’s good to be home.”

“Happy birthday, honey!” she sobbed as my father stepped outside, “I’ve missed you.”

As she continued to sob into my shoulder, I suddenly realized something was wrong. My father stood on the porch with a far-away look on his face.

“Daddy?”

He didn’t break his focus as he stared off into the night sky. I pushed my mother’s embrace away and held her by her shoulders. Her head hung low as tears streamed down her cheeks. There was no way she could be this happy to see me.

“Mom!” I shook her shoulders, “What’s going on?”

She opened her mouth and an indiscernible whisper came out. Silence hung in the air for a few minutes until my father finally spoke.

“I’m not sure how to tell you this sweetheart…” his words were halted.

“Tell me what, exactly?”

“Your sister…” he searched for the right words as I discerned the pain in his eyes, “she passed away tonight.”

My mind suddenly went numb. I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t think. It was as if every strain of thought in my mind had been swallowed up by a spiraling black hole. In nearly the same instant, an immense guilt swallowed me whole. All of the thoughts and feelings I had been venting on the trip here came back at full force to punch me in the gut. I found myself staggering backward in shock as the onslaught pummeled me.