And the most dramatic.“So, how have things been since I moved?”
Mom sat a glass of sweet tea in front of me anyway before she eased herself into the chair at the table where she had sat the for the majority of my childhood.
“Well, things are okay, I guess. Your father’s still working on that damned restoration in the garage, which just about pisses him off every other day. Maggie here is interviewing for some secretarial positions around town to try and pull in some of her own money, and I’m still working away at the library like always!”
I reached for a slice of brie. “My job is going great, too. It’s a lot of overtime, but--.”
Then, Maggie interrupted me as always. “You know, Mom, we shouldn’t make Becca travel to us all of the time. Maybe we should take a family trip to see her.”
My stomach hit the floor. “I’m just in a little old studio apartment. There’d be no place for you guys--.”
Mom patted my arm. “That’s a great idea, Maggie. We could get a nice hotel, maybe with a swimming pool.”
Dad yelled from the living room. “Quit spending all the money on stupid trips!”
Mom shouted back. “Then, get up off your ass and start enjoying some things!”
“I am! I’m working on my damn truck!”
Maggie joined in. “Then shut up about where we want to go! At least we’d be out of your hair!”
I felt my hands curling tightly around my glass. “We can see about arranging something, but I’ve got to get to a point where this overtime settles down. I’m essentially pulling twelve-hour days, so there wouldn’t be--.”
Dad stormed into the kitchen. “If you’d stand up for yourself instead of rolling over all the time like I always told you, you wouldn’t be working so damn much.”
I tried to brush off his comment. “At least overtime is double the pay.”
Maggie giggled. “Sounds like you can afford our hotel stay, then.”
My voice fell flat. “Not a chance in this world. I’m still paying off school loans and stuff.”
“Oh,” Mom said softly, “but can’t you treat your family to just a small weekend out there in the big city?”
Dad harrumphed. “Don’t waste your breath. One minute, she’s talking about staying around town, and the next second she’s booked a one-way trip to California. Keep at it and she’ll hop countries, too.”
I closed my eyes. “Dad, I’m sorry that I didn’t--.”
He waved his hand in the air. “Bah, it doesn’t matter now. You’re grown. Or at least you think you are.”
I’d had enough. “All right, already! I get that you guys don’t like it!”
My yelling caused everyone to turn and face me as I stood to my feet.
“I’ve been working my ass off at this new company trying to get in good with my bosses because I’m one singular promotion away from my dream job. A job that’ll pay me what I’m worth and push me without requiring all of these unnecessary hours to prove my worth. And while I don’t expect any of you to understand that since the only one working is Mom and her job essentially allows her to nap throughout the day--.”
“Hey, that’s not fair,” Mom said.
I tossed her a look before I clicked my tongue. “Nevertheless, I came here to get away from things and to decompress, and the last thing I need is my family criticizing my life, how I choose to live it, and poking at the weight I still haven’t lost because I don’t care about the weight and neither should you!”
I shrieked so loudly that my voice echoed off the corners of my kitchen, and as the anger in my father’s face mounted I snatched my sweet tea from the table. I shook my head as I made my way outside, standing on the front porch and admiring the neighborhood where I had spent my entire life. I flopped into one of the rockers and closed my eyes. I listened to the bees buzzing and drew in deep the scent of flowers blooming in Mom’s garden that she painstakingly kept up.
And as I finished my sweet tea, I heard the front door open.
“Want company?” Maggie asked.
Since when do you care?“Sure.”
She closed the door and came to sit beside me. “Your pride is going to be your undoing, you know.”
