Page 20 of Crossing Into Brooklyn

I nod.

“I don’t know what to do anymore,” my sister confesses.

“All you can do is support him,” I tell her. “Be his mom, Jan. That’s all you can do. I don’t consider Mom’s house my home anymore and neither do you.”

“It’s not the same.”

I disagree. “I think it is.”

Janet looks at me.

“It’s the same. Mom still lives there, but we have holidays here most years.”

“Yes, but we always visit Mom.”

“We don’t stay at Mom’s.”

“Because we live close.”

I’m not going to win this argument. Time to change tactics. “I guess that’s true. I’m not sure we’d stay at Mom’s for long if we did live far away.”

“I know you’re right. It doesn’t make me feel better. I wish Tim would lay off.”

I wish my brother-in-law would stop hounding Jeremey too. I don’t have any reason to believe that will happen. “I’ll talk to him.”

Janet’s head snaps to attention.

“Not Tim, Jeremy.”

“I don’t—”

“Jan, Tim’s not going to change,” I say. “If he does, it won’t be you or me who changes him. Jeremy’s got to learn how to change his reaction to his father.”

“Speaking from experience?”

“I am.”

“I know Dad could be—”

“Dad was opinionated,” I say. “And most of the time, I loved that about him. Except when it was about my life.” I chuckle. “I wish I’d learned earlier not to let him trigger me.”

“You know he was proud of you.”

My father loved me. I believe he was proud of the person I became, I’m not sure he felt pride in the choices I made about my career.

“He was, Carter.”

“Maybe he was. It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to you,” Janet says.

Parental approval matters to everyone I know. It isn’t guaranteed to anyone. “This isn’t about me and Dad. I’ll talk to Jeremy this week. And don’t worry, I won’t tell him about this conversation.”

“Thank you.”

“No worries. That’s what sisters are for.”

“What about you?” Janet inquires. “How goes the task of organizing?”

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