4: 4
After my mother said it, no one in the living room spoke again.
The aunt still had half an orange section pinched between her fingers. Adrian stood at the mouth of the hallway. My sister kept her head down, twisting the cuff of her pajama sleeve.
Everyone was waiting for me to speak.
I looked at the plate of oranges my mother had pushed toward me.
She'd peeled them clean, picking off every bit of the white pith.
The things she'd just said, she'd tidied up the same way, into something presentable.
I didn't take one.
The smile on my mother's face stiffened for a second. She turned to Adrian.
"Don't read too much into it. Milly's used to living on her own out there. When she comes home it's only for a night or two."
Only after she'd said it did she look at me.
"You gave the room to your sister yourself, didn't you, sweetheart?"
I remembered how, when I was little and took a fall, she'd used that same soft voice to help me up.
My sister lifted her head, her eyes a little red. "Mom, stop it."
My mother turned on her at once.
"Stay out of this. Your sister knows better. She knows what today is."
The aunt tried to smooth things over too. "Between sisters, giving up a bed for one night is normal enough."
Adrian took an awkward half-step back.
"Maybe I should just head back today."
"Head back where?"
My mother cut him off immediately, her voice a shade more urgent than before.
"It's the holiday. You're already here. It's your first time visiting. How could we let you feel uncomfortable in our home?"
Then she turned back to me.
This time there was no smile on her face.
"Say something."
I asked, "Say what?"
She dropped her voice. "Just nod. Say Mom wasn't wrong just now."
The living room went quiet again.
The aunt gave a light cough and gathered the orange peels to the edge of the plate.
"Milly, your mother's only thinking of the family. It's Rain's first time bringing someone home. We have to get through it smoothly."
My mother caught the line at once.
"Exactly right."
She looked at me, her voice going soft again.
"Mom isn't taking sides. You're the older sister. Helping your sister save face at a time like this won't cost you a thing."
I could hear the porridge still bubbling in the pot in the kitchen. The folding cot leaned against the wall, its metal frame not locked tight, tilting a little.
My suitcase was still sitting out in the hallway.
My mother stared at me, her eyes sinking, degree by degree.
"Milly, don't make a scene on the holiday."
I looked at her, and I thought again of what she'd said two nights ago. We've saved a spot for you at home.
For that one line I'd switched shifts, taken time off, sat six hours on a bus, and carried back the holiday pie she'd asked for by name.
But there was no spot for me at that table.
And no spot for me in that room.
When I spoke, my voice came out steadier than I'd expected.
"I didn't give it up. You just never saved it for me."
My sister's head snapped up.
Adrian froze too.
The orange slipped from the aunt's fingers and landed on the plate with a soft sound.
My mother's face changed in an instant.
"What nonsense are you talking?"
I didn't say it a second time.
The phone buzzed once in my palm.
The screen lit up. A message from Dawn.
"I'm about to list it on the platform. Are you renewing?"
I opened the chat.
My mother saw the movement and frowned. "You're on your phone at a time like this?"
I didn't look up.
The payment code Dawn had sent last time was still there in our thread.
I opened it and typed in the renewal deposit.
Before confirming the payment, I paused for a second.
That rental was tiny, its window facing the back of someone else's building.
But every time, Dawn would ask me, "Should I keep it for you next month?"
My mother was still talking. "Your sister brings someone home for the first time, and you just have to make everyone look bad, is that it?"
I pressed confirm.
The transfer-successful notice popped up.
I closed the phone in my palm, bent down, and set the folding cot upright against the wall.
The metal frame touched the wall with a faint sound.
I said, "You don't need to make it up for me."
My mother looked at me. "What is that supposed to mean?"
I pushed the handle of my suitcase down.
"I have a place to stay."
