Overlooked and always second to her sister in her parents' eyes, a young woman decides to put distance between herself and her family by choosing a college far from home. As she builds a life on her own, the question of whether her parents will ever truly see her hangs over every choice she makes.
Sophia had just started high school. We needed to make sure she was settling in. Her orientation wasn't on the same day as my conference. You didn't have a conflict.
You forgot. Dad immediately washed his hands of it. Your mother had you that year. If anyone owes you an apology, it isn't me. Sophia tapped her fork against her plate. Come on, Em. This is the one dinner a year we all have together.
Why drag up ancient history over one stupid conference? One conference? I remembered ten years of empty chairs. I remembered birthday forms returned without signatures.
And field trips I nearly missed because each parent swore the other had the I refused to forge either signature, so I sat outside the office until an administrator had reached one of their This isn't our year. Call the other household. On move-in day, other parents carried boxes upstairs, while I hauled two duffel bags up four flights by
At my 8th grade science fair, standing beside my winning project, I lied that Dad's flight had been delayed and Mom had a They were two blocks away, watching Sophia ride in a children's equestrian showcase that didn't even award Sophomore year, the financial aid director called me into her office. Amelia, are you in foster placement, estranged from them, or experiencing financial hardship?