I still remember those days when Lucy was hailed as the perfect one. Do you want to know why? shed snap at me. Because Im sick of forever being secondbest! Always, in everything. In school shed been the star pupil, teachers singing her praises. At university shed graduated with firstclass honours, while Id scraped through resits. At work she collected promotions and bonuses, and I was stuck in the same position, dreaming of a higher salary and the respect of the bosses. Do you understand? I want to be first too! she’d declared.
***
Right, another row with the manager, Lucy muttered, slamming her laptop shut and flinging herself back in her swivel chair with a sigh.
Clara pulled her eyes away from the screen and gave her sister a wry grin.
Didnt you just make a mistake in the report? Did someone pat you on the head for that?
Lucy pursed her lips and turned toward the window, her cheeks flushing with indignation. I ignored her sour look, gathered my things, and finally the workday ended. The paperwork was neatly slipped into a file, the coffee mug was set in the sink.
Lucy lingered in silence as we walked down the corridor. Only when the office doors were well behind us did she speak again.
You find it easy to laugh. You think youre flawless, dont you?
I exhaled. These arguments had become far too familiar of late. Lucy used to shrug off the bosss criticisms with a joke, but now every word seemed tinged with bitterness.
Im just doing my job well, Lucy. You can too.
Of course, you can, she replied, tone dripping with sarcasm.
Wed been in the procurement department of a large trading firm for three years. Id joined first, and six months later helped Lucy get her foot in the door. The sisters had always been close, backing each other in everything, yet our approaches to work were poles apart.
I stayed late, poring over supplier markets, comparing the terms of dozens of firms before making a decision. Lucy favoured a more relaxed pace doing the bare minimum before the deadline, then spending the rest of the day on her phone or chatting in the staff kitchen. I never judged her for seeing life differently; each to his own.
A month earlier, the company called me into the directors office and offered a promotion senior procurement manager with a hefty raise in pounds. I was caught off guard, but accepted straight away. Years of diligent work had finally paid off.
Lucy hugged me then, congratulating me, but I saw her smile flicker and her words turn tight. That evening we went to a tea shop to celebrate, yet the atmosphere was odd. Lucy kept steering the conversation toward salaries, asking how much more I would be earning and how many extra hours Id have to put in.
Youre lucky the bosses noticed you, she blurted, otherwise youd be stuck earning peanuts.
Lucky? I asked. I spent two months on that project with no days off.
Right, of course.
Six months later I was appointed head of the whole department. The news spread quickly through the office; colleagues shook hands, offered wellwishes. Lucy was the last to approach, wrapped me in an embrace and whispered, Congratulations. Youre the one now.
There was no warmth in those words. I looked into her eyes and saw something cold, a hidden serpent.
In the weeks that followed, the office environment began to shift, subtly but inexorably. I no longer received invitations to lunches. George from the neighbouring division stopped stopping by with his morning brew. People greeted me with curt nods, then turned away. Behind my back there were whispered jokes and muffled laughter; anyone I turned to pretended to be engrossed in work.
I wondered what had happened. Id always been open, helpful, willing to share my knowledge. Had my promotion altered how they regarded me? I hadnt become a tyrant; I never shouted at subordinates or set impossible targets.
One evening, as I was about to leave, Rose knocked on my office door, fidgeting nervously.
Come in, I said. Whats the matter?
She slipped into the chair opposite me, her face flushed with embarrassment.
I have to tell you something, she began, voice trembling. Im ashamed, but you deserve to know the truth.
I set down my pen and listened.
Lucy has been spreading rumours about you for months, Rose whispered. She tells everyone that the ideas in your projects are actually hers, that you stole her work, that you only got the promotion through flattery and connections, that you look down on the rest of us and treat us like fools.
Lucy? My own sister, the one Id helped get a job? The one whose work Id often covered without fanfare? Rose claimed the whole office was being turned against me.
Are you sure? I asked, my voice tight.
Absolutely. At first I didnt want to believe it, thought maybe it was a misunderstanding. But she repeats it constantly, to anyone wholl listen. People start to believe it. Gossip spreads like wildfire, and eventually you start to believe it yourself”
I cant recall how I said goodbye to Rose that night, nor how I walked to my car. The drive home was a storm of thoughts. Why? How? Wed always been together. Id supported her, defended her, helped her. And now the gratitude felt twisted.
Lucy opened the flat door, surprise flashing across her face.
Clara? Whats wrong? Something happen?
I stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, turned to face her, and looked straight into her eyes.
Why? I asked coldly. Why are you turning the whole office against me? Why spread lies that I steal your ideas? Why the rumours?
She stumbled, crossed her arms, her face suddenly blotched with angry colour.
Did Rose tell you something? she snapped.
It doesnt matter who said it! Answer me!
Dont shout at me in my own house! Keep your business professional! she snapped back.
I didnt raise my voice; I demanded explanations. How could you do this? Were sisters!
She lunged forward, eyes flashing with something Id never seen before anger, hurt, perhaps something else.
You want to know why? Lucy shouted. Because Im tired of always being second! Always, in everything! In school you were the top student, teachers adored you. At university you got the firstclass degree, and I barely scraped through resits. At work you get promotions and bonuses, while Im stuck in the same spot! I want a high salary and the respect of the bosses. Do you get it? I want to be first too!
I stayed silent. Lucy kept going, relentless.
You were always ahead. Always perfect. Lucybright, Lucybeautiful, Lucyhardworking. And what am I? A shadow. A foolish younger sister who always messes things up!
Then you should have worked harder, I replied. Put in the effort, not spend the day watching videos at work or chatting in the kitchen. You wanted respect? Earn it. But dont drag me through the mud for it.
Lucy opened her mouth, but I cut her off. I turned and left the flat. The door clicked shut behind me. Tears streamed down my cheeks, which I brushed away furiously. I had to hold on, to keep my composure.
The next morning I submitted a transfer request to a branch in a different part of the city. The HR manager was surprised but signed the paperwork without further questions. I was a valuable employee; they didnt want to lose me. The transfer was approved within two days.
Lucy heard the news from colleagues and called that evening. I stared at the name flashing on the screen before answering.
Youre transferring? she asked, tone flat.
Yes.
So youre running off then.
No. Im just moving to a place where no one will plot against me behind my back.
Youre betraying me! Traitor! Sister, youre a liar!
I said nothing, hung up, and the line went dead. There was nothing left to say.
Three months in the new branch flew by. The team welcomed me warmly, projects ran smoothly, and I began to forget the nightmare. Then, one night, Rose called.
Clara, did you hear? Lucys been sacked.
I froze, phone pressed to my ear.
What?
Last week she missed deadlines on three contracts, made errors in reports. Management had had enough and finally let her go. Without you, everything fell apart. Thats how it went.
I put the phone down and sat in stunned silence.
The following day Lucy appeared at my doorstep, hair dishevelled, eyes red, clothes in disarray. She burst into the hallway, shrieking:
Are you happy now? Theyve fired me! You moved just to ruin me! Did you do this on purpose?
I looked at her calmly.
What am I to blame, Lucy? You had the chance to prove yourself. I didnt stop you. What did you do? Ruined everything.
Its your fault! You!
No, its you who caused what happened. Forget the way back to my house.
I opened the front door wide. Lucy froze, unable to believe I was actually sending her out. She turned and fled down the stairwell, the door slamming shut with a deafening bang.
An hour later my mother shouted through the phone:
What are you doing? Youre responsible for Lucys firing! You abandoned her! Youre selfish! You should have helped, not run off to another office! Youve destroyed your own sisters life! Its all your fault!
I tried to explain, talked about the rumours, the betrayal, how Lucy herself had driven her own dismissal. Mother wouldnt listen. She kept shouting, demanding I fix everything.
Youve betrayed the family, Clara. Remember that. Its a sin.
The line clicked.
She was left alone. The family turned away the moment I defended myself, when I stopped sacrificing for my sister.
She would manage. Id always been strong, and now that strength was needed more than ever.
An email arrived from the head office: a promotion to the capital, a new role, a fresh start. If before Id doubted whether to accept, now I replied with confidence.
With everyone turned against me, there was nothing holding me in this city. It was time to think only of myself.
Weeks of hectic packing passed. In the new city I settled quickly, didnt look back, didnt try to fit in. Relations with the family stayed shallow, limited to formal holiday greetings. I no longer worried about their opinions; they had abandoned me as easily as they had once praised me.
