Nothing better than having the whole family together.
The whole family.
Except me.
If I asked, Mom sighed and said, “Oh, honey, we thought you were busy.”
Dad said, “Don’t make Christmas about hurt feelings.”
My sister Lauren said, “You always bring weird energy anyway.”
So eventually, I stopped asking.
I spent Christmas alone in apartments, borrowed guest rooms, hospital waiting areas during extra shifts, and once in my car outside a closed diner because my heating broke and I did not want to bother anyone.
Every year, Grandma Ruth
