The hysterical laugh bubbled out again. "We don't have to worry about money ever again," I told her.
Barbie snorted. "So, what are you crying for?"
I sat down on the steps and sniffled. "Thank you for the geranium," I said.
My sister lowered herself carefully to the step next to me. "It's a cutting from my garden. Did I tell you that I transplanted the pink geranium from Mom and Dad's? It's been growing like crazy, and I thought you might like it."
I dropped my head to my hands and started sobbing. Barbie took it in stride, the same way she handled everything, and I leaned on her. My older sister was my rock and my inspiration. No matter what life threw at her, she turned it into magic. The same way she had taken the dried out lot at her house and turned it into a verdant, blooming garden.
It made me think of GroGreen again, and I felt another rise of hysteria.
"That's enough," Barbie said in a firm voice. "Tell me what happened."
"I made a billion dollars today," I said.
Barbie was the only person in the world who could hear something like that and just nod. She knew I was telling the truth and she saw straight through the news and right to the heart of the matter. "It's not too late for you to have it all. There's nothing that says you can't be rich, successful, and happy. All you need is the right match."
I laughed and wiped away my tears. "Leave it up to you to turn this into a matchmaking opportunity."
"All I'm saying is you wouldn't be crying over good news on your front step if you had someone to celebrate with," Barbie said. She heaved to her feet and pulled me up. "I always knew you'd make it big; it was exactly what you set out to do. The big question is what are you going to do now?"
"Hide?" I asked.
Barbie swatted my shoulder. "You've never hidden from anything in your life. And I'm not about to let you become one of those odd, reclusive rich people."
"Speaking of odd and rich," I held up my phone.
"Is that my Stanislas?" Barbie asked. She snatched the phone from my hand. "Hello, darling. You calling to congratulate our girl?"
I tried to grab the phone back, but Barbie used her baby bump to hold me back.
"Yes, she's right here," Barbie told Stan. "Having a little bit of breakdown, but you know our girl; she'll snap out of it. I'm doing fine, thanks. The baby is growing everyday. Soon I'll be the size of a car."
"Barbie, give me the phone," I said.
"Now we just need to find Tasha the right match, so my baby can grow up with dozens of cousins," Barbie teased me. "Sure thing. Here she is, Stan."
I snatched the phone and heard Stan chuckling. "I like your sister, Tasha. She's good people."
"Personally, I think the pregnancy hormones are messing with her head," I told him.
"Speaking of messing with your head, how did the meeting go?" Stan asked.
Barbie took my house keys, picked up the bright geranium, and let herself into my condo as I talked to my mentor. "You knew, didn't you? Stan, I would really have appreciated a heads-up."
"And ruin the surprise? No way," Stan said. "Did your eyes pop out when you saw your bank account?"
"Well, now that you brought it up, I could use some advice about investing. Could you please recommend a financial advisor?" I asked.
"Definitely," Stan said, "but you have to do me a favor first."
"What favor?" I asked.
Barbie poked her head back out the door, ready as always to side with Stan against me. "Whatever it is, tell him I'll make sure you do it."
Stan laughed, overhearing her. "Good, because I know you're going to try to wriggle out of it. I made you an appointment with a personal shopper. I thought a new wardrobe was just the thing to help you celebrate."
"No, absolutely not," I said. "I'm not going to waste my day shopping for clothes. I just came home for lunch, and I'll be back at the office in an hour. I need to meet with my department managers and see how the staff is handling the news. Plus, there has to be concerns about the servers and—"