Weathering the Storm

"Come on Stormy don't pay attention to them." It seemed like Ian was forever repeating that refrain or some variation thereof. It was a frustration to which he had grown accustomed. He didn't mind because he knew his sister couldn't help it. She had always been physically weak, having a congenital birth defect he couldn't even pronounce. Stormy's legs were always tired, she winded easily and sometimes her neck seemed too fragile to support her delicate head. She didn't come home from the hospital until six months after she was born and the thing he remembered most was how tiny she was.

She looked smaller than his older sister's dolls. "Be careful of your baby sister. She's very sick. You need to keep an eye on her and make sure nothing ever happens to her." Growing up his mother made that a mantra he obeyed with fierce determination. Stormy always had a protector and ally whom she could trust. Ian would rather die than betray her. However what she lacked physically she more than made up for in mental acuity. In fact her mind was more agile than most adults. She possessed a sharp wit that didn't always endear her to other kids in the neighborhood or adults for that matter. More than once her mouth got her into trouble. Despite her lot in life Stormy had a strong belief in God and adhered to the tenets of her faith. While leaving church one Sunday the month before, the pastor asked if she enjoyed the guest speaker. She hadn't.