“Split evenly? That’s just ridiculous, Beulah!” My sister-in-law, Ethel, immediately changed her expression, her tone dripping with mockery.
“You do realize this is your mother we’re talking about, right? The woman who carried you for ten months, who raised you with her own hands?
“She didn’t raise me—not even for a single day. And you expect me to split the costs equally? Do you even hear yourself?
“Are you blind? Go look around—what daughter doesn’t spend money on her own marital family? If you don’t spend it on your family, where else do you spend it, huh?”
Her temper flared. The more she spoke, the angrier she sounded.
My mom and my brother were terrified of upsetting her. She had them both completely under her thumb.
Mom nervously tugged at my arm, giving me a pointed look.
“Stop being difficult, you brat! Don’t make your sister-in-law mad. She’s right about everything.”
“You’re the younger sister,” she added, “it’s your responsibility to treat your sister-in-law well. As for that money, round it up to twenty thousand and give it to her.”
My brother chimed in, like it was the most natural thing in the world.