LIZZI WOLF
My Brother's Therapist
My brother was sentenced to three weeks of therapy for pickpocketing a Zippo lighter from his first-grade teacher.
The therapist thought his problems were rooted in pent-up sibling rivalry so she invited me to one of his sessions.
I sat on a footstool in my navy blue jumper with the apple appliqué, my curls held in check by a ladybug barrette.
A blow-up clown holding a red and yellow target over his belly sized me up from the center of the room.
“Pretend it’s your sister!” the therapist snapped.
My brother punched the clown. It bounced away then back. He punched it again.
“See?” The therapist eyed me righteously.
I asked if she would give me a tissue.
“No,” she smirked. “But I’d be happy to move the box closer to you.”
Years later, when my brother shoved me down the attic stairs, I landed on the floor like a crime scene body waiting to be outlined, hair plastered to my face with tears and snot.
Copyright © 2017 Map Literary
Lizzi Wolf was born in Detroit and currently lives in Salem, MA. She attended Oberlin College and University of Michigan. Lizzi’s short fiction has been published in Pleiades, Boston Literary Magazine, Seattle Review and Knut House. Her poetry has been recently published in Worcester Review, Pembroke Magazine, and Midwest Quarterly. Check out her web page: LizziWolf.com.
