“That isn’t my responsibility,” I said, and the moment the words left my mouth I knew they would be used against me. They sounded harsh even to my own ears.
My mother inhaled sharply, like I’d slapped her. “Not your responsibility? I cannot believe what I’m hearing. After everything we’ve done for you, giving you that apartment at such a reduced rate…”
“I pay rent,” I said, unable to stop myself. “Every month. On time.”
“Yes,” she snapped. “Well below market value. And this is how you repay us? By turning your back on your sister?”
My father’s voice came closer to the phone. “Lauren,” he said, calm in the way he always was, like his calm was meant to be the reasonable counterbalance to my mother’s intensity. “Be reasonable. It’ll just be for a little while. Until Vanessa gets back on her feet.”
