The room went completely silent right after my father announced that I was no longer considered a real part of our family. Then my mother smiled brightly and slid a detailed list of eight children across the table while telling me to be useful for once in my life.
We were celebrating their fortieth anniversary in the private dining area of The Waverly Room which happened to be the most expensive restaurant in Atlanta. My parents sat proudly beneath a huge arch of gold balloons while my brothers and their wives joined my younger sister and several cousins in raising their expensive champagne glasses.
Dad tapped a silver spoon against his crystal flute to get everyone to quiet down.
“We are going to the Bahamas next week with the entire family to throw another massive party.”
Everyone cheered loudly while Cameron kissed his wife and Madison squealed with absolute excitement. Mother laughed loudly as if she had personally invented the concept of happiness itself.
I put on a polite smile and asked what time our flight was scheduled to depart.
Dad looked straight at me with a perfectly cold expression.
“You do not need to know the departure time because you are not coming with us. You can stay behind right here and take care of all the kids while we are gone.”
A few relatives actually chuckled at his cruel statement.
Madison leaned back in her chair with a smug look on her face. “Come on Harper since you hate sandy beaches anyway.”
“I just hate being treated like unpaid labor by the people who are supposed to love me,” I replied calmly.
Mother let her smile sharpen into something much more hostile. “Please do not embarrass us tonight in front of everyone.”
I looked down at the piece of paper she had just pushed toward my dinner plate. It contained eight specific names of children ranging in age from four through twelve.
The list detailed all of their severe allergies and school schedules along with soccer practice times and specific daily medication instructions. They had planned this entire setup well in advance just to trap me into babysitting.
For fifteen long years I had played the exhausting role of the endlessly dependable daughter. I constantly picked up children from school and covered emergency medical bills while rescuing their failing businesses and quietly repairing every single disaster my siblings managed to create.
