Mom sighed, rubbing her temples. “Because that’s what family does.”
I looked at her, frustration rising in my chest. “Maybe that’s the problem. We expect too much from each other without asking what’s fair.”
She swallowed, her arms dropping to her sides. “I just… I didn’t think about it like that.”
I nodded, my throat tightening. “I know.”
It wasn’t the resolution I had hoped for, but at least it was a step. A small one, maybe. But a step nonetheless.
A week passed before my phone finally rang. Lauren. Her name flashed on the screen, and for a moment, I just stared at it, debating whether to pick it up.
Part of me wanted to let it ring, to make her wait the way she had made me wait.
But another part—the part that missed my nieces and nephews, that still loved my sister despite everything—reached for the phone.
I pressed accept and held my breath.
“Hey,” she said. Her voice was softer than before, missing the sharp edges it usually had when we argued.
She hesitated, then sighed. “So… I thought about what you said. And I guess I wasn’t being fair.”
I sat down on the couch, my heart thudding against my ribs. That wasn’t what I had expected. Not so soon, anyway.
“Go on,” I said, keeping my voice even.
Lauren cleared her throat. “I just got used to you always saying yes. I didn’t think about how it was affecting you. I should have.”
I swallowed. I wasn’t sure what I had been hoping for, but hearing her say that made something in my chest loosen.
I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “Thank you for saying that.”
Another pause. Then, her voice turned lighter, like she was testing the waters.
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