Chapter 7 - The Summer I Thought My Aunt Rejected Me
Aunt Diane answered on the second ring.
"Rachel."
She already sounded guilty.
"Did Mom stop me from coming to Chicago when I was seventeen?"
Silence.
That was enough.
"Oh my God."
"Rachel, I was going to tell you years ago."
"Then why didn't you?"
"Because your mother begged me not to. She said you were going through a difficult phase and that if you thought the family was divided, it would make things worse."
I sat on the floor beside the couch.
"What difficult phase?"
"You had a boyfriend she didn't like. You got a C in chemistry. You skipped one family dinner to study with friends."
"So normal teenage behavior."
"Yes."
"And she made me think you didn't want me."
Diane's voice cracked. "Yes."
My mother had not just criticized me.
"Why are you telling me now?" I asked.
"Because I watched her do it again on Christmas. Only this time she was starting with Lily."
That landed like a stone.
Diane continued. "She wasn't just saying the baby was small. She was making everyone watch you defend yourself. That's what she does. She puts you on trial and calls it concern."
I closed my eyes.
She did not diagnose her.
She asked one question.
"What do you want Lily to learn from watching you handle this?"
I looked at the folder.
"That love doesn't mean unlimited access."
"Good. What else?"
"That being family doesn't give someone permission to humiliate you."
"And?"
I swallowed.
"That she doesn't have to stay in a room just because leaving makes someone else uncomfortable."
Dr. Patel nodded.
That night, I typed a message to my mother.
Then I pressed send.
You are making a serious mistake.
May you like
And two minutes later, Evan's phone rang.
It was my mother.
