Chapter 14 - The Family Reunion
Two summers after Ryan ordered me out, Jessica asked a question.
“Would you ever host another reunion?”
I stared at her.
She laughed.
“I knew that face was coming.”
“Define reunion.”
“Ten people.”
“Eight.”
“Nine.”
“Fine.”
“And everybody asks.”
“Yes.”
“And nobody touches Grandpa’s chair.”
“Correct.”
“And if someone calls you a parasite?”
“They swim home.”
She laughed so hard she nearly spilled her coffee.
We hosted nine people.
Everyone arrived with permission.
Everyone left when planned.
Nobody assumed.
Nobody demanded.
It was almost boring.
It was perfect.
At sunset, Natalie approached me.
“You know, that first weekend changed the entire family.”
“I'd prefer not to repeat it.”
She smiled.
“Neither would anyone else.”
Then she became serious.
“People used to talk about you like you were absent.”
“I was absent.”
“No. You were serving. There's a difference.”
I looked across the yard.
For years, I had believed nobody noticed my sacrifices.
May you like
Maybe some people had.
They simply hadn't known how to say it.
