My Parents Arrived With Suitcases Like My Apartment Was Already Theirs

usual little-sister scan where she measured my shoes, my haircut, whether my life seemed boring enough to mock.

She looked tired.

Mascara smudged under one eye. Airport neck pillow clipped to her tote. A crack in one thumbnail with pale pink polish chipped off the tip.

“I didn’t know they’d actually sold everything,” she said.

My mother went sharp. “Ashley.continue reading …