The Daughter They Never Wanted

Synopsis

My mom, Olivia Jennings, stood in the kitchen doorway, holding the plate of garlic butter shrimp I'd just finished cooking. Her tone was calm, like she was reading off a grocery list. "You know your sister's allergic to seafood, right?" she said. "She can't even be around it." I wiped my hands, and the steam had turned my fingertips red. "So?" I asked. "So take this to your room," she said. She paused. "Don't let Grace see it. It'll upset her." I stared at her and then at the plate in her hands. I'd picked the biggest shrimp, deveined them, sautéed the garlic until it was golden, and let the pasta soak up all the buttery flavor. This was the first meal I'd cooked since coming to the Jennings family, and I'd made it to celebrate being "home" for a month. "Mom," I said quietly, "I'm allergic too." She froze for a second, and then she laughed. It was soft and tired, like I was telling a joke. "Emily, stop," she said. "You grew up in a fishing village. You're allergic to seafood? Who are you kidding?" She set the plate on the counter. Before she turned to leave, she added, "Oh, your dad has a business dinner tonight, so he won't be home. It'll just be the three of us. You, me, and Grace. "Just eat something else," she said. The kitchen door closed softly behind her.