“Nina, it was your idea,” I say. “You said the best way to keep Seth interested was to break up with him.”
“What? That makes zero sense. I don’t think I would have said that.”
I feel rocked, as if the history I thought we all agreed on was now in question. Is she misremembering, or am I? “You said it worked because it was counterintuitive.”
“Really? Well, if I did, I was wrong. I wasn’t exactly a sage back then.”
I look at her again. She seems to have no idea that I’ve hung on her every word for the vast majority of my life. She is talking to me as if we are equals.
I could attempt to relitigate the past, but why? As I look at Nina, I do not see a fallen idol. I see a new mom who is exhausted but doing her best; I see a daughter who is grieving; I see a human who is trying to find her way, just like the rest of us. I see my sister, in all of her dimensions, and I love her more than ever.
A lazy wind sweeps through the trees, sending the flame-colored leaves flickering.
“I still can’t believe Dad’s gone,” says Nina. “When you came through the door earlier, I thought for a second that it would be him.”
“I know what you mean,” I say. “It doesn’t feel real.”
“I guess we should think about a funeral?” Nina looks at me as if I’m in charge.
“Yes. I don’t think Dad would want anything too fussy. And now that he’s kind of famous”—I glance over to see if this irks her, but she smiles and shakes her head, as if she has accepted my shenanigans long ago—“I think we should keep it low-key.”
“Totally agree.”
“Maybe we do a little ceremony down on the dock with just us, plus Carl, Paula, and Max.”
“Perfect,” says Nina, looking relieved that I’ve already thought it through. “Wait, who’s Max?”
I laugh, realizing just how much we have to catch up on. “I have a lot to tell you. But first, can you do me a favor?”
“Of course,” says Nina. “What is it?”
“Can you… cut my hair?”
That afternoon while Anders is napping, Nina and I haul a chair onto the lawn and set up a makeshift salon.
“You know I’ve never done this before, right?” says Nina, kitchen scissors in hand.
“It’s fine. It can’t look any worse than it already does.”
“No promises,” she says, as she parts my hair in the middle. “I’m just going to cut straight across, and then I’ll neaten it up after.”
As she circles me, taking careful snips, I fill her in on all the things we haven’t gotten to talk about yet: Max, my reunion with Chloe, my non-deal with Gemma.
“So, wait, Gemma bought the Seavey camp?!” Nina is riveted.
“No. It ended up selling to some people who seem reasonable, thank goodness,” I say. “But you’re not going to believe this…”
I open up Instagram and navigate to the Actualize page. I click on a video of Gemma spritzing mist onto her face and monologuing: “Mmmm, I can’t even explain how refreshing this is, you guys. If you’ve ever been to the Adirondacks, you know the water is exceptionally clear and clean. It’s got so many yummy minerals—your skin will just drink it right up. Okay so after I mist, I’m going to go ahead and take the Oracle Oil and just work it into the skin, all over my face and neck and décolletage…”
“What is this?” Nina asks.
I explain that a few weeks ago, I received a marketing email introducing Actualize’s newest product line: the Catwood Collection. Billed as “sacred skincare from the Source,” every product is infused with water from Catwood Pond. I pull up another video and hand my phone back to Nina so she can watch.
In this one, Gemma is in a white bathrobe at a marble sink, with six bottles laid out before her. “We distilled the essence of the Adirondacks into six core products, formulated to elevate the whole human vessel—body, mind, and spirit. Because wellness starts from within, we have the Catwood Tonic for gut health. Then we have our Truth Serum, a resurfacing solution that helps you bare your true face to the world. Then there is Future You, a full-body exfoliating scrub that sloughs off dead skin and regenerates new cells. Next, our Best Self Balm is a rich salve for anywhere you want that extra glow. Our Centering Spritz helps lock in both moisture and self-worth. And finally, our pièce de résistance: Oracle Oil. Infused with nutrient-rich Adirondack pine sap, this is the product that will supercharge not just your beauty routine—but your entire existential outlook.”
Nina starts to giggle, and then laugh, and before long, she can hardly breathe.
“I know,” I say. “Gemma can make a product out of anything—even pond water.”
