Chapter 3

At nine, Henry got up and spent an hour getting ready.

At ten, the doorbell rang.

Henry's girlfriend, Cheryl Summers, and her family arrived.

The Summers family ran a successful business and always spoke with an air of superiority.

"So this is Henry's brother, Cheney?" Mavis, Cheryl's mom, looked me up and down. "Henry said you've been taking care of your mother at home. That's really considerate of you."

I couldn't tell if she was actually complimenting me or hinting at something else.

Lunch was on me again. Twelve dishes, three hours sweating it out in the kitchen.

Mom popped…