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“I didn’t realize you were planning on getting married so soon.”
“You would have known all about it if you’d stuck around the rest of the weekend,” said Emily, her tone cold.
“I’m sorry, Emily,” Elena said, trying to make amends. “I should have stayed a little while, at least to meet your fiancé.”
There was a moment of silence and then Emily spoke, her voice high and passionate.
“I don’t understand why you hate us so much.”
Elena stared at the receiver for a moment.
“I don’t hate you… or Mom and Dad,” Elena insisted in shock.
“Really?” Emily said. “Because it seems like being with us is extremely difficult for you.”
“I… we’re just very different and-"
“Mom and Dad are just trying to help you. They’re trying to get you started in a career that will give you a comfortable life. I don’t think that makes them monsters.”
“It doesn’t,” Elena said. “I never said they were monsters.”
“You act as though you think you’re so much better than us,” Emily accused, her voice shaking slightly. “It hurts.”
“I…" Elena trailed off, and she was shocked.
She had never before had a conversation with her sister that was quite so candid, and she had certainly never expected Emily to have initiated one. Elena sighed. Somehow, with everything she had been through lately, her perspective had shifted more than she had realized.
She was going to have a baby and that made her aware of how much she wanted that child to be happy. Her parents wanted the same thing for her; they just went about it in the wrong way. They couldn’t understand her and that made their approach to helping her clumsy and insulting, but Elena could suddenly see that their intentions were good, though misguided.
As for her sister, Elena knew that the distance between them had been partly of her own making. She had always been slightly jealous of Emily’s connection to them. A connection that had cemented her firmly on the periphery, unable to enjoy or understand their thinking or their way of life.
She was hurt by many things, but she suddenly understood that expecting people to act the way you thought they should was never going to get you anything but disappointment. Her parents expected her to be like Emily, but that would never happen.
She in turn, expected her parents to support her unconditionally, whether or not they agreed with her, and she knew that would never happen either. They would always try to mold her into the person they thought she should be. The difference now was that Elena knew better.
“Emily,” she said soothingly, “I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry. I guess the truth is that we just… misunderstand each other. I’m not like you, or Mom and Dad, and I guess I always feel left out, and sometimes I just feel like you three are ganging up on me, but I know that you are just trying to help. I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel like I hate you. I truly, truly don’t.”
Emily seemed to take all of that in for a moment.
“I… we have been overly critical,” Emily said finally, “of your choices.”
Elena smiled. “Thank you for saying that.”
“Will you be there for my wedding?” Emily asked again. “We’re having a small cere
mony at home. July twelfth.”
“Of course I’ll be there, Emily,” Elena promised. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Maybe… we could have lunch in the city sometime. Just you and me?”
“Sounds great,” Elena agreed pleasantly.
After Elena hung up, she walked back to the kitchen where her sandwich was waiting for her. Neal had added pickles. Her pregnancy cravings had been especially stereotypical.
“Your sister?” Neal asked casually.
Elena nodded.
