Today's Reading
"Oh, so I'm not allowed to say how I feel. Got it." Mavis folds her arms and sinks deeper into her seat.
"You can talk to me about anything," Mom says, her voice softer now. Mavis snorts. "You're such a hypocrite. You literally just said—"
I stop paying attention. I've listened to them fight enough to know their arguments never go anywhere. So I unbuckle my seat belt and grab my box of treasures before stepping outside, Mom's and Mavis's voices muffled by the car door.
The Taylors' house should be inviting with its cherrywood and mosaic of glass panels carved in the middle. There's even a Wipe Your Paws mat welcoming me onto the patio—so, green flag, right? But the sight doesn't make it any easier to breathe.
I inhale until my lungs can't expand farther. Act like you love this, Catie. You've gotta start somewhere. I ring the doorbell. Chimes sound throughout the mansion, and a muffled dog bark replies to the call. It's too late to step back now.
A bob of hair shimmers behind the glass. A flash of smiling teeth. A flowing white blouse. Then the door swings open.
"Oh, Catie! It's so good to see you!" Aunt Joanna clasps her hands at her chest like she's an old-timey actress who's been gifted a string of pearls.
Now it's my turn to be the actress. I'll convince her that I love living in Salt Lake City. That I don't miss San Diego. That I belong in the Taylor household.
"Aunt Joanna! It's so nice to see you again." The lie is bitter. I swallow it like medicine.
"Goodness, look at how much you've grown. You only came up to my knees the last time I saw you."
Sheesh. When was that—at Mom and Dad's wedding? How old was I— seven? Honestly, I don't remember anything about Aunt Joanna being there. Maybe that's because all I do know is that Dad married Mom outside of the temple. The reception was at a Mormon church building. Dad's always been a ProgMo—the kind of Mormon who believes the church's principles are true, but is progressive enough to call out the sexism and homophobia in the doctrine, too. That's probably one of the reasons why he married Mom. She grew up in the culture even though she doesn't practice anymore.
"You haven't changed a bit," I say, feeding Aunt Joanna something she probably wants to hear.
Aunt Joanna strokes her face as if hiding a modest blush. She must know I'm lying, right? It would be impossible for her to look as young as she did a decade ago. Creases carve into her cheeks from years of smiling. Strands of golden hair cover the sunspots dotting her forehead. But her eyebrows are perfectly groomed, as if she never goes more than a week without an appointment.
"Where are your mother and sister?" Aunt Joanna asks.
I nod up the driveway to where Mavis and Mom are still arguing inside the Subaru. With the sun reflecting off the windshield, I can't see them from here.
"They'll be over in a sec. I was so excited to see you that I wanted to ring the doorbell first." Lie.
"Oh, that's so sweet," Aunt Joanna says, opening the door wide enough for me to step through. "You can start unpacking everything in the basement. I promise it's not as scary as it sounds."
Aunt Joanna's foyer is so grand that my footsteps echo despite wearing sneakers. Though this house is now my summer home, I get the impression that my T-shirt and pajama pants don't fit the black-tie ambience. A chandelier reflects rainbow prisms over the stark white family portraits hanging on the stark white walls. Even though my cousins' faces greet me with smiles, I swear their noses are turned up as if I smell as foul as I look.
Paws tap-dance across the wood floor, and a golden retriever appears at my hip.
"Oh, Maddie Sue," Aunt Joanna scolds when the dog licks my elbow. "Stop that!"
"It's okay. I like dogs." Truth. I've always preferred animals to people. "Well, that's good. We got Maddie Sue for Rayleigh after Auburn and Tavie moved out for college. Rayleigh's been looking forward to meeting you and Mavis since I first told her you were coming."
"Oh, that's amazing." I smile and try to remember which one of my cousins Rayleigh is. Other than the fact that she's the youngest of the five Taylor kids, I know nothing about her. "I can't wait to get to know her better." Truth&ish?
Honestly, I want nothing to do with any of the Taylors. But I really shouldn't be judging my cousin so harshly before I've even met her. After all, that's the last thing I want any of them to do to me.
Maddie Sue dusts her tail back and forth as Aunt Joanna leads me to the stairwell.
...
