I expected JoJo to kick back with it, saying that I hadn’t been working long enough at the company to justify a long weekend to go visit my batshit crazy family. But, after I submitted the paperwork and put the time on my calendar, all he did was sign off on it.
So, I packed my shit up and went home for a few days.
Granted, I hated going home. There was a reason why I crossed essentially the entire country to get away from them. I grew up with narcissists. People who manipulated and thought the world revolved around them and their spineless little issues. Like my sister and her broken nails, or my mother and her bad dye jobs, or my father and his car restorations where he threw massive temper tantrums because a junkyard didn’t have the part he was looking for.
But it was better than dealing with the hours of overtime I had become used to.
“Bec Bec!” Mom exclaimed.
She rushed me the second I walked through the door and wrapped her arms around me. She squeezed me tight, kissing both of my cheeks before my sister came trolloping down the stairs.
What the hell is Maggie doing here?
“Hey there,” she said with her perfect smile showcasing her perfect pearly whites.
Mom squeezed my shoulders. “Sweetheart? Get in here! BecBec’s home!”
But Maggie shook her head. “He went to the junkyard this morning, he’s not in a good mood.”
“Awww,” Mom said, “Maggie, go make him a hot cup of tea. You know how those days wear him out.”
I rolled my eyes. “You know all he’ll want is a beer.”
She poked my stomach. “Well, neither of you need any more of that useless alcohol with all of those empty calories. Maggie?”
My sister groaned. “Fine, I’m going. But, if I break a nail, you’re paying for it.”
“Nice to see things don’t change,” I murmured.
Mom scolded me playfully. “Oh, come on. It’s been years since we’ve had you both under the same roof. I mean, you just up and moved within the span of a couple of weeks and it took its toll on Maggie.”
“Is that why she’s still living here?”
Then, her scold turned real. “Don’t start.”
Trust me, I never do.“Sorry, Mom.”
She smiled brightly as if the scolding hadn’t ever happened. “Now, get in here and have a snack with me. I’ve got some fruit and some cheese laid out. You want some sweet tea?”
I shook my head. “Why stop at the beer I don’t drink? Sweet tea has empty calories, too.”
She sighed. “You’re impossible sometimes, you know that?”
Maggie barked with laughter as she came into the kitchen. “Dad wants a beer.”
Mom groaned. “Well, he’s not getting one.”
“Get me a damn beer!” Dad exclaimed.
Mom drew in a deep breath. “Shut up or I’ll pour it over your head!”
Maggie held out her arms. “Still happy you came home?”
I grinned as I sat down. “At least I branched off and went somewhere.”
Mom gasped. “Becca!”
But my sister took it all in stride. “I know, I know, I’ll never live up to the younger, smarter, more easy-going sister. It’s the burden of being the eldest child.”
