“I think you were too young to remember,” Charlie said, his bushy brows pinched together just like Dad’s used to. “But do you remember the old apartment on Gary Street? When Mom was still working at the daycare, and Dad was doing that engineering internship?”
“Only vaguely,” I admitted. It felt unfair that just by being a few years older than me, he had more memories of them than I did. “I remember when you broke your elbow trying to climb down onto the balcony below us because your little girlfriend lived there.”
“I was a seven-year-old Romeo,” he said.
“Gross,” I told him with a smile.
He grinned and took a sip of his espresso. “I know you think I’m some sort of capitalist monster, but that’s not why growing Bundles of Joy means so much to me. It’s like... it’s like they’re still here.” His voice cracked a little on that last syllable.
I could feel his pain, because his pain was my pain, and I so badly wanted to have a sibling relationship where I didn’t have to overthink about reaching out and touching his hand.
“Mom and Dad gave up so much those first few years. Just trying to get prototypes and taking out small business loans. They sold Dad’s car and cashed out their retirement fund just to cover that first run of diapers when Publix agreed to test it out in a few of their stores.”
“I remembered about the car,” I said. Mom and Dad were constantly juggling schedules and passing off the car between each other. “But I didn’t realize that about their retirement.”
“It’s not your fault that you don’t remember,” he said. “You were too young, but I do, and Sunny, sometimes it feels like a burden to remember how hard they worked in the beginning. I think about it every day, sitting in Dad’s office, just hoping that I’m doing them justice.”
“It doesn’t have to be just your burden alone,” I told him. “But you’ve edged me out. You’re embarrassed by me, Charlie.”
He looked down into his empty cup. “I’ve had a hard time trying to make sense of some of your decisions,” he finally said. “And... I don’t want to be ashamed of you. I’m... not. But don’t you have a hard time with people taking you seriously, Sunny? I can barely make eye contact with an employee if they’ve seen me outside of work just doing normal things. I can’t imagine...”
“What it’s like to know people have seen my boobs? They’re just boobs, Charlie.”
“It’s not just that. It’s... God, I didn’t have talking about sex with my little sister on my holiday bingo card, but it makes you vulnerable, Sunny. Don’t you get that? Wanting you to step down... it was to protect the company, yes, but it was also to protectyou. I know you probably don’t believe me. But I swear it’s true. I don’t think I could handle seeing the public dig up your past and ridicule you. I saw what happened to your friend Bee when she was in that Christmas movie.”
The protective thing was sweet, if misguided, but I wasn’t about to let him use Bee’s experience against me. “And you know what? Bee’s fine. She’s happy. She’s not ashamed of the life she’s lived and neither am I. Would I like to avoid the think pieces about the part-time porn star on the board of the wholesome diaper company’s board? Yes, please. But can Istop it from happening? Not really. Especially if you want to go public with the company, because I’m not stepping down, Charlie.” I couldn’t recall the moment I had made the decision, but the words just came out and as soon as they did, I knew they were true. Mom had always talked about turning Bundles of Joy into so much more. Period products. Postpartum products. And what if I could help that dream of hers come to life?
What if I stopped bailing on things before I even started them?
What if I just took a chance, and if the car crash still came, trusted that I would survive it?
My brother folded his hands together, like he was prepared to put up a fight, but then he looked up at me from beneath the long lashes he inherited from Mom. “Good.”
My brain short-circuited, my head tilting to the side. “What?”
“I thought about it last night. And then again this morning. And then Jenna told me she’d make me be the one to someday tell Gretta that Santa Claus isn’t real if I didn’t figure this shit between us out.”
“Good woman,” I said.
He smirked. “Bundles of Joy isn’t mine. It’sours. And I need you there with me in whatever capacity you want. If someday we go public, it will beourdecision.”
I could hear my blood pumping. This didn’t feel real or even remotely possible. “Charlie, are you being serious right now?”
“As serious as the leakproof protection on our overnight diapers,” he said. “But just to be clear, I still think you’re really annoying.”
My chest tingled as I blinked back the tears. “Well, just to be clear, I still think about the time I laughed so hard I peed at my high school graduation party and I asked you to bring me a change of clothes and you brought me a package of the adult diapers the company was demoing.”
He shrugged. “At least I answered my phone. Besides, it was a great proof of concept.” He met my eyes. His gaze was direct but open. “Can I ask... you’ve never seemed to show any interest in the company before. Why now?”
Admitting this in front of my hyper-mature and organized brother was painful. But also why not admit it? We were talking like we hadn’t talked since we were teenagers, and it wasn’t like things could get any worse than they had been over the years.
“I was afraid I’d suck at it,” I said. “I’m still afraid I will. I’m not like you, Charlie. I’m not a natural at this. And if I do something, and it is a terrible idea, and hurts the company—how could I deal with that? Hurting the only piece of Mom and Dad we have left?”
“First, I think we’ve both forgotten that there are more pieces of Mom and Dad,” he said. “Like you. Like me. Like Gretta.”
Ouch.It was like a bolt of painful joy right to the center of my soul to hear that.
“Second,” Charlie went on, “I realized today that you have the perfect mindset for Bundles of Joy right now. You’re willing to try new things—like directing, like writing screenplays—just to see what happens. You’re willing to learn brand-new skill sets on a dime. And most importantly, you care so damn much about the people around you. That’s how Mom and Dad wanted the business to be run, with heart, and you are all heart, baby sis.”
