Ruth was never happy during the holidays. Unlike her coworkers, she doesn't look forward to those days, for they only remind her of how lonely she is.
She heaved a deep sigh as she reminisced about her holidays when she was still with her parents. It was really fun way back then. Even though her siblings won't come home often for holidays, they never feel lonely because they have her. But happiness usually doesn't last long, for in just three years, she lost the two people who never made her feel lonely.
Her mother passed away first, and later, after two years, her father followed. The whole family mourned for their loss, but the one that got most affected was her. Unlike her siblings, who already had their own families and partners, Ruth remained single—basically alone.
She laughed bitterly as she saw the message her sister had just sent to her. It's an invitation for her engagement party tonight. She suddenly felt a pang of envy as she saw her sister's beaming face on the invitation.
'Why does it have to always be me who's left out?', she asked bitterly.
She attempted to laugh out the heaviness she felt, but her laugh just got stuck in her throat. She coughed violently to avoid choking, and then, out of nowhere, she felt sad. A sudden urge to cry gradually welled, but before a tear fell, she immediately pinched her face hard.
"Ouchhh", she muttered silently while massaging her face. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, and she winced, but it wasn't because she pinched herself hard.
'I looked like a mess,' she thought as she lazily stood up.
And with that, she decided to do something she hadn't done before—something that could possibly change her. Or not.
The loud music blared as soon as she entered her sister's villa. A lot of people were lounging near the poolside area—some of them were eating, dancing, and, eh—God knows what they're doing.
She immediately regretted coming. It's her first time attending a party, and she thought it would be a solemn one, as described in the invitation.
Her frown deepened when she recognized some of her sister's guests.
'Great! Just Great!', she sarcastically thought as she squeezed her way among the rowdy crowd.
She immediately made her way inside the villa. She knows where her sister usually stays, and that's where she's heading now. She's planning to go home, but she needs to greet her sister first and give her a simple gift. After all, it's the very reason why she decided to step out of her hideout.
After climbing upstairs, she turned right and headed towards the farthest door. She knocked first, and when no one answered, she opened it. The room was dark, and it seems that it was empty. She frowned when she realized that maybe her sister wasn't there. She was about to go out when she heard something. It was the sound of sniffling. She was rendered motionless for awhile because she knew it might be something that she really feared.
Her heart suddenly beats fast, but despite her emerging fear, she decided to check it out. Her soul almost left her when she saw a crouching figure on the balcony. She was about to shout when the figure looked up.
It's her sister!
She sighed in relief, but her relief was replaced with worry as she saw Naomi's unusual disposition.
Her mascara was smeared down, and her lips looked parched. Her eyes were red and swollen. She looks too pale and dispirited, so opposite to her usual vibrant aura.
"You look like a mess," Ruth uttered unconsciously. She immediately regretted saying those, but instead of bursting into her usual angry fit, Naomi just laughed without humor.
She continued to laugh until her laughter stopped, and it was replaced by continuous sobbing.
Ruth immediately hugged her sister. This is the first time she has seen Naomi in her vulnerable state. She's always the more beautiful, cheerful, and confident Naomi. Seeing her like this was new and somehow heartbreaking.
"What happened?", she asked softly as she caressed her sister's shoulder.
Naomi's sobbing intensified as soon as she heard her younger sister's voice.
"He—he cheated," she said in between her sobs.
She clicked her tongue in annoyance as soon as she heard what Naomi said. She hugged her tighter, and for a while, they stayed that way until Naomi's sobbing subsided.
They are now staring down at the raucous crowd below. Everything looked lively there, but here she is with the supposed host of festivities—in the dark, moping.
"So what really happened?", Ruth asked.
"He cheated on—
"Yeah, yeah—I know that, but what really happened? I mean, if he cheated on you, why didn't you cancel this damn engagement party?", she asked bluntly.
"Well...I just happened to know it this morning, and I don't have the strength to cancel this—all of this," she said weakly.
"Why didn't you call me instead of sending me that stupid invitation?", Ruth asked impatiently.
Her sister looked at her sadly before answering, "I thought you'd decline if I asked you."
She stared at her sister incredulously.
"I thought you're just stupid in choosing men; it turns out you're also stupid in understanding a sister," she said teasingly as she pinched her sister's face.
"Ouch, ouch, stop that. You really never changed Ruth; you're still the Ruthless I knew," her sister said as she touched her cheeks.
She smiled when she heard what her sister said. Even way back then, she's always the blunt and unfriendly child among them. She's glad that her sister remembers that.
"You also didn't changed, Omi; you're still as gullible as ever," she grinned as she stared at the blinding lights beneath them.
Her sister just chuckled, and with that, they started to talk further about her failed engagement.
And slowly, the heavy feeling that Naomi's been carrying since morning has been lifted.
"Did you know that if we eat twelve grapes under the table this midnight, our love life will be lucky throughout the next twelve months?", Naomi asked as she burped loudly.
Ruth just frowned as she smelled the stench of alcohol from Naomi's breath.
"You're really drunk now, Omi. Come here; let's go to your room," she said as she pulled her sister up.
"Nooooooo, pleaaaseee Ruthless, let's do that, hic, I wanna do that....pleaseee, I wanna be lucky in my love life this time...", she said while dramatically crying.
She scowled as she heard her sister's drunk talking, but her scowl disappeared when she saw the glistening tears that were flowing down her sister's face.
"Ok, ok, let's do it," she said in surrender.
She painstakingly dragged Naomi towards the huge table downstairs. As they finally arrived near the table, she first laid her down, then got twelve grapes for her.
"Here, get under the table and eat these," she said while handing the grapes to Naomi.
Naomi opened her eyes and stupidly grinned at her sister.
"Aren't you going to eat also? I bet you still don't have any boyfriends until now," she said drunkily.
"No—"
"No buuuuts, just follow your older sister! Don't be a killjoy, Ruth!"
Seeing no harm in her request, Ruth just followed her sister.
She languidly made her way towards the grapes and picked another twelve.
"Faster Ruth! It's almost New Year!", her older sister shouted.
The voices outside were also getting noisier, and people seemed to get more rowdy.
"59"
Her sister immediately grabbed her towards the table. Together, they crawled down under it.
"29"
Naomi checked the grapes she had brought.
"Yey! It's twenty-four all! Here!", Naomi said as she handed out the twelve grapes to Ruth.
"5"
"4"
"3"
"2"
"1"
"Happy New Year!", Naomi said weakly as she munched the first grape.
Ruth ate the grapes one by one, and in just a few seconds, she had already finished them. It's almost 12:01 when she noticed that her sister wasn't making munching sounds anymore. She turned to her and saw that she'd already been asleep. It seems that her sister fell asleep before she finished eating the fourth grape.
She sighed as she slowly dragged her out. She was about to go out of the table when she bumped something. She immediately grabbed it, and it screamed. Shocked, she screamed as well.
"Holy cr—who are you?!", the man shouted at her.
Shocked and mad, she's about to lash out at him, but when she saw his expression, she immediately chuckled.
"Man, you look like you're about to die out of shock," she said coolly while chuckling.
The man scoffed and just touched his nape. His ears turned red, and embarrassment was really apparent on his face.
"I—I was just shocked," he said irritatedly.
"Sorry then," she said nonchalantly.
"What are you doing there? Don't tell me you're doing that stupid grape eating superstition?", he asked amusedly.
"No—of 'course not!", she hotly denied.
He laughed when he saw her flustered face.
'She looks cute,' he thought while staring at her face.
"Hey creep, quit staring at me like that!", she said while dragging out her sister.
"I'm not starin—"
"I have peripheral vision, you fool! Stop staring at me or you'll lose your eyeballs," she angrily threatened.
"Ok, ok, madam, don't be mad at me," he said while lifting his arms upwards. "Need help?", he asked.
"No—go away, I don't nee—", but before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly stumbled.
She braced herself for the impact, but moments later, she still didn't feel it. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and she immediately wished she hadn't.
She's in the arms of the arrogant man!
Naomi moans in pain as she lands heavily on the floor. It seems the unfortunate landing woke her up. She looked up and saw her sister in the arms of a handsome man. She smiled like a naughty cat because interesting ideas started to form in the back of her mind.
"It seems that the grapes are definitely effective," she said loudly.
Upon hearing her awake sister, Ruth immediately pushed the man away. The man smiled charmingly at Ruth, but she just scowled and gritted her teeth in response.
Working or not—Ruth still has twelve months to test that, and Naomi has a feeling that her sister will definitely enjoy those months.