1: 1
My fifth year of work, and the family finally moved out of the cramped old place and into a new home more than three times its size.
I'd paid for it, piece by piece — the down payment, the renovation, the furniture. More than a million dollars in all.
Mom had once held my hand and said:
"Veronica Fox, once we move into the big house, I promise I'll keep a bedroom just for you."
But on moving day, I walked through all four bedrooms and couldn't find a bed that was mine.
The master bedroom was Mom and Dad's.
Leila Fox had claimed the south-facing room with the best light.
Harvey Fox's room had a new computer and a whole wall of sneaker shelves.
The last one had been turned into Leila's walk-in closet.
And my luggage was piled on the balcony, next to the washing machine.
I asked Mom, "So where do I sleep?"
She paused, then pointed at the couch in the living room.
"You're busy with work anyway, you're hardly ever home."
"When you do stay a night, the couch is fine, isn't it?"
Dad frowned at me too.
"A family sharing a home, no matter how big, has to make allowances for each other."
"This house is for the whole family. Don't start fighting over rooms the minute you move in."
I looked down at the payment records on my phone, and suddenly I laughed.
So it turned out the big house I'd earned over five years had room for Leila's clothes, Harvey's games, and my parents' pride.
It just didn't have room for me.
That night, I accepted the company's three-year sealed on-site assignment.
If there was no room for me in the new house,
then I'd go somewhere that actually wanted to keep a place for me.
1
After the movers left, the house was full of boxes.
Dad sat in the living room, figuring out the new TV.
Mom helped Leila sort out her jewelry and skincare.
Harvey was busy assembling his new computer.
Only I worked, from afternoon into night.
I made the bed for Mom and Dad.
I filled two whole closets with Leila's clothes.
Then I crouched on the floor and set Harvey's dozens of pairs of sneakers into the display case, one by one.
By the time every room was done, my six boxes were still stacked on the balcony.
Mom glanced at them and said, offhand:
"Don't bother unpacking your stuff."
"There's no place to put it anyway. In a few days we'll find a storage unit for it."
I opened the box on top.
Inside were the certificates I'd earned since starting work, project files, and a desk lamp I'd used for years.
I'd bought that lamp right after graduation.
To save a little more toward the house, I'd rented the cheapest partitioned room I could find.
It had no window, so I kept the light on even during the day.
Late into so many nights, it was under that lamp that I worked overtime, studied for exams, drew up plans.
I used to think that once the family had a big house, I'd finally have a real desk of my own.
But now Harvey's gaming desk ran six feet long.
Leila's closet had an island counter that existed only to hold jewelry.
And my desk lamp didn't even have a corner with an outlet to plug into.
Leila poked her head out of the closet.
"Veronica, I've got a few more boxes of clothes over there. Can you bring them for me?"
"I'm on shift tomorrow, I have to get everything sorted tonight."
I didn't say no.
As I carried the last box, the bottom split open.
A perfume bottle inside shattered on the floor, and the glass cut the back of my hand.
Leila cried out, but the first thing she did was crouch down to check the perfume bottle.
"That's a limited edition. You can't even buy it anymore."
Mom hurried over at the sound, saw the shards all over the floor, and her face darkened at once.
"I ask you to carry a few things and you manage to break them."
"Your sister has work tomorrow. Couldn't you make things a little easier on her?"
Blood dripped from my fingertips.
No one asked if it hurt.
Mom only handed me a rag.
"Wipe it up, quick."
"Don't leave a mark on the new floor."
That evening, Dad suggested a family photo for the housewarming.
Mom and Dad sat in the middle of the couch.
Leila and Harvey settled in on either side of them.
Dad handed me his phone.
"Veronica, you're the best at photos. Make us look good."
I stood outside the frame and pressed the shutter.
In the picture, the four of them looked wonderfully happy.
Mom posted it to her feed right away.
【At last, our family has moved into the home we always dreamed of.】
The comments were all congratulations.
No one asked why the daughter who'd paid the most wasn't in the photo.
After the picture, Mom spread a thin blanket on the couch.
"You sleep here tonight."
"Harvey has class in the morning, so keep it down when you sleep. Don't disturb him."
At one in the morning, Harvey was still in the living room gaming with his friends.
I curled up at the very edge of the couch and waited until he shut the game off before I finally fell asleep.
Before dawn, Leila was up again looking for clothes.
She switched on the living room ceiling light, saw me still on the couch, and frowned.
"You sleeping out here makes it a hassle for everyone getting up at night."
I stared at the ceiling, and only after a long while did I answer quietly:
"Just a few more days."
She didn't understand.
I didn't explain.
Because seven days from now, I'd be gone.
