Disinherited, Not Defeated

oved into our new home,

along to the radio, making pancakes. David was out in the tin

orbell

ttle surprised. We didn't get many

oor, and my he

stood on my small porch,

looked shifty, avoiding my eyes. Michael tried for

e weak but laced with that familiar

o careful. No fo

I asked, my voice fl

ral thing in the world. She peered past me into the hallway. "This i

"Yeah, looks like you' re d

gured that spare bedroom

l. Constant bickering. And Michael and Tiffany' s apartment was fa

ed to step past

e. I blocked

" I

. "No? Sarah, don't be di

g time ago," I said, my voice

around the side of the house, hammer in hand, h

rd to me. He didn'

ed up Brenda' s largest one, and threw it

l bag and Michael' s worn-out l

th soft thuds on th

d. "David! H

. "Hey! What do you

n unyielding. "Sarah has done enoug

t but carried an u

o when you were about to be evicted, money we despera

hed, look

or one of your 'brilliant' business ideas that went bust, money she took secre

ly ashamed, but Tiffany, who wasn' t

y' s well-being for you ungrateful leeches for far

she was propping you all up. And what did she

the street. "Get of

t the manipulative kind. "Sarah, please. I have n

ke ash in my mouth. "You made your choices. You chose them. You chose thei

see here, you can't just thro

d, taking a step towa

. "Sarah, come on. Be reasonab

" I said. "She was my mother when she decid

twinge of something – guilt? pity? – looking at B

rained. I remembered the sting of her hand on my cheek. I remembered David'

inge v

eated. "This is our home.

et this, Sarah! A daughter who aband

y years because of you," I said.

, Brenda weeping, John scowli

uitcases from the lawn and trudged a

arm around m

ng into him. "Y

ned. But for the first time in

ed the door on the past, and