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“I did,” I admit. “A girl can only see so many pictures of ‘Sisters-in-love getting their day drink on’ before she loses her mind. I’m sorry, but it had to be done.”
It didn’t help that I was looking at all those pictures while I was living alone with Mom, watching her body turn frailer by the day. It was hard not to feel jealous of how carefree Lana seemed.
“Sisters-in-love,” Lana murmurs, chuckling. “I forgot about that. We were close, but I guess I got bored with it all, too. And then we had kids and Amanda changed. Her entire life revolves around those kids.”
“That’s kind of normal, though. Right? Parents are all obsessed with their kids.”
“Well, yeah. Of course. But… I don’t know. It’s all she wanted to talk about. Which activities the kids were enrolled in, where they were going to preschool, the best place to buy sustainable toddler clothes. She never wanted to talk about anything real.”
“Like…?”
“Like how our husbands disappear ninety percent of the time and leave us to deal with the children we made together.” Lana glances up at me. I get the feeling she didn’t mean to be quite so forthcoming.
“Where is Mitchell tonight?” I ask, hoping I sound more casual than I feel.
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. Something for work. A meeting. A dinner. I don’t know. He texted and said he’d be back late.”
I nod, not sure what to say. The silence from earlier envelops us. I look at the timer on the air fryer. Sixteen more minutes.
“I just thought I’d be happier,” Lana blurts. “With Mitchell. In this house. With… everything. I thought we’d be happier.”
That takes me by surprise. “You’re not happy?”
She shrugs. “It’s hard to tell.”
“That’s probably a sign that you’re not,” I suggest. “If you aren’t sure, then there’s probably something wrong.”
“Then there has been something wrong for a long time,” she whispers. “Since the kids were born.”
Nothing Lana is saying is surprising to me. The surprising part is that she’s saying it at all. That she’s admitting the image she projects into the world is one big, fat facade.
“Did Mitchell want kids?”
“Yeah. I mean… I thought so. It was in the plan. Mitchell got promoted, we bought this house, then I got pregnant. Getting a two-for-one with the twins was a surprise, but we wouldn’t change a thing. They’re amazing.”
“Lily and Brady are the best,” I agree.
Sometimes, it’s hard for me to understand how two such imaginative, lively little kids could belong to two miserable people like Lana and Mitchell. But then again, we’re all that way when we’re young. Idealistic and carefree. Life steals that away at some point.
She smiles, but it vanishes just as quickly. “But the promotion came with longer hours and more responsibilities. Mitchell is always telling me I want him to be Superman.” She drops her voice down into an imitation of Mitchell’s.“‘How am I supposed to pay for all the shit you wantandbe home all the time? What more do you want from me?’”
“That’s not fair.”
She sighs. “It isn’t. He does work hard, and I know I ask a lot from him. But—”
“No,” I interrupt. “It isn’t fair to you, Lana. You deserve more than that. Plenty of people have important jobs and still make time for their family. Mitchell can do it. He just doesn’t want to.”
Her mouth pulls down into a frown. There’s a small wine stain on her upper lip. She looks like Lily when she’s getting to the bottom of her juice cup. “I don’t think it’s that simple. He is under a lot of pressure at work.”
“And you’re under a lot of pressure here at home. Raising kids is hard.”
A lot of people have it a lot harder than my sister does, what with her nanny and personal chef and housekeeper. But still, kids require a lot of emotional energy. Not having the dad around makes things a lot more complicated.
“Yeah, but they are my job. I chose to stay at home with them. Mitchell is right. That makes them my responsibility.”
I snort. “He is not right. It takes two to tango. Mitchell needs to step up. If I were you, I’d tell him to sort out his priorities before you leave him for someone who will realize how incredible the three of you are.”
I think I’m building my sister up, giving her the confidence boost I’m surprised she needs. But her face twists into horror.
