My mother-in-law pointed at the door during New Year’s dinner and snapped, **“If you don’t like my rules, get out!”** – Welcome

and convinced myself that if I removed every practical obstacle, the evening would go well, as though a family’s objections were a logistical problem solvable by the right appetizer.

The dinner itself was pleasant on the surface, which is a specific kind of unpleasant. My father passed the bread without comment. My mother asked Daniel polished questions continue reading …