Insider Information

For a hobby, I make my own instrumental music. It's like getting a full live-band's worth from a laptop and some software. 

Since I'm not a musician, help from of Sister of The Ex comes in handy. Her deep knowledge of octaves and bars lends fluency to instrumentals and harmonies. My role is mostly to navigate the software's sophisticated graphical interface. So we end up spending a lot of time together on joint projects. I am inclined to hold a modest opinion towards our synthetic music, but it is really fulfilling anyway.

My co-virtual-musician is a beautiful personality; both the quality and content of her interactions are good, but she has concealed her true colors beneath outward tomboy airs. It's confusing. Also, she often plucks controversial confrontations straight out of thin air. 

Her latest piece of patronizing advice was "You two should grow up." To her, 'us two (her sister and I) growing up' means we should kiss and make up. No amount of rolling my eyes or prolonged counter-ranting on my part could stop Sister of The Ex when she started herself going on about her sister and I. 

"You were good for each other," she often said. "But look at you two now." 

The upside to her outbursts of unsolicited advice is that I got detailed data into what The Ex and Bryophyta would have the rest of us believe was a working relationship. Cracks in that one were seismic nightmares all by themselves.

"Did you two forgive each other or what?" asked Sister of The Ex. Inconveniently. I often forget how much sisters confide in each other. She feels no qualms letting me in on their most intimate details, too much information, like I belong or something.

Sister of The Ex whips up a mad-crazy-good melody every time. I focus on that, nodding to our inspired rhythms, instead of allowing misadvised pity for The Ex and Superman delusions to take root within my head. But Sister of The Ex is persistent, romantically idealistic and disarmingly honest, therefore convincing. But I can't, CAN'T, C.A.N.N.O.T! show too much interest in her suggested advice, nor even dare to ask a clarifying question. That would be falling for the bait.

But Sister of The Ex is aggressive. When the sales pitch fails, she likes to take initiative.