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2
The day after they moved into the new house, Mom threw a housewarming party.
She invited more than twenty relatives and friends.
With every room she showed off, her face glowed with pride.
"This is Leila's room. Her job wears her out, so she should be comfortable."
"This one's Harvey's. He's still in school, and he needs space to study and to rest."
When they reached the walk-in closet, Leila gave an embarrassed little laugh.
"I told them not to bother, but Mom and Dad insisted on doing it for me."
One after another, the relatives said how lucky she was.
Someone finally remembered me.
"Where's Veronica's room?"
Mom's smile froze for a second, then smoothed right back over.
"Her company has dorms, and she hardly ever comes home anyway."
"When you're young, your career comes first. Keeping a room for her here would just be a waste."
The relatives nodded along.
"Veronica's always been so sensible."
"She knows how to take the pressure off the family."
I stood outside the door holding a plate of fruit, and didn't go in.
They didn't know.
That dorm room at the company was just a temporary break room, shared on rotation by four people.
Every month I wired fifteen thousand home, while I kept living in a rented place of twelve square meters.
I'd told myself that if I just toughed it out a few more years, I could come back to a home that was really mine.
So it turned out that what they called sensible meant I wasn't allowed to complain when I paid, and I wasn't allowed to make a sound when the rooms were handed out.
Dinner filled the whole table.
Steamed fish, buttered shrimp, seafood chowder — every dish Leila loved.
I'd been allergic to seafood since I was little.
Mom still didn't remember.
She dropped a shrimp into my bowl.
"There are a lot of guests today. Don't just sit there in a daze, go help look after them."
I put the shrimp back on the dish.
Leila lowered her voice right away and explained, "Veronica's allergic to seafood."
Mom paused.
"You still haven't grown out of that after all these years?"
"Then just eat some vegetables. Don't go making a separate meal for yourself, it looks bad in front of the guests."
The housewarming party dragged on until eleven at night.
After the relatives left, the whole place was strewn with bottles, bones, and used napkins.
Dad was drunk, Leila had a shift the next day, and Harvey said he had studying to do.
So the cleaning ended up being my job again.
As I bent over to mop the floor, my empty stomach cramped in waves.
Mom carried a plate of leftovers out of the kitchen.
"There's still some shrimp. Heat it up and eat it, don't waste it."
I didn't take it.
Her face dropped at once.
"Bought a big house, and now you've got a big temper to match?"
"Don't forget, this house is for the whole family. It isn't just yours."
The line struck me as funny all of a sudden.
Because when it came to spending the money, they called it the whole family's house.
But when it came to handing out rooms, not one of them thought of me as family.
Back by the couch, I saw that my box had been shoved to the very back of the balcony again.
On top of it sat the wedding candy for Leila's engagement and Harvey's old sneakers.
That was when my phone buzzed.
A message from the department director.
【The Western Region flagship project still needs a long-term on-site lead.】
【Three years sealed on-site, hard conditions, but the department provides a private dorm room.】
【You always hated leaving home before. Would you still consider it now?】
I looked up at the four closed doors.
A long while later, I replied:
【I'll go.】
