Chapter 4 If I remember right , at my older sister's house , she was always jumping to do everything . Laundry , cooking , scrubbing floors , cleaning - hell , she even insisted on handling all the school pick - ups for the kids herself . And that bad back of hers ? According to her , she wrecked it helping her precious eldest daughter . In my past life , I thought she was working too damn hard . Plus , when she stayed with me , she'd barely lift a finger - so I waited on her hand and foot . If she didn't feel like cooking , I'd drop my work bag the second I walked through the door , no matter how dead tired I was , and whip up all her favorite dishes just the way she liked them . When she bitched about her back pain , I'd wait until Zoe was knocked out , then massage her with this fancy imported cream I'd begged a friend to smuggle back from overseas . During these rub - downs , she'd eat it up like crazy , going on and on about how my older sister never listened and my younger sister was such an ungrateful bitch . " Those two are nothing but freeloaders , " she'd say . " You're the only one who made those nine months of pregnancy worth the trouble . " God , back then , how such a freaking idiot I was ! After a lifetime of Mom putting me down , I was practically begging for even the tiniest scrap of approval . Yet , I never even stopped to think that my little sister is barely a year and a half younger than me , and my older sister ? Just two years older . For that one meaningless pat on the head , I not only got my husband and daughter killed , but I threw my entire life in the garbage . Thinking about all this , I yanked out my phone and called my older sister right in front of Mom . " What kind of big sister are you ? How could you kick Mom out in the middle of the night ? And that's not even the worst part - she's got a bad back , and you just don't give a shit ! " Mom freaked the second she heard this . She started waving her hands around like crazy and hissing , " Shut up ! Don't you dare talk about your sister like that … " But I completely ignored her and kept going : " You're a grown - ass woman - how can you still be so friggin ' irresponsible ? I don't care what you say , if you don't come get Mom today , I'm dumping her on your doorstep myself and letting all your neighbors see what kind of eldest daughter you really are . " After finishing my rant , I hung up immediately without letting my sister get a word in . -All Dowml 19.5 % Chapter 4 Seeing what I'd done , Mom burst into tears . " What the hell ? I just came to stay for a couple of days , and here you are - my own daughter - throwing your sister under the bus ! " I shot back with fake concern : " Mom , let's get real . Sis was the one who stayed home to marry and give you a son . Like they say , ' sons are your retirement plan ' - daughters who marry out are like spilled water . This is between you two , and I should butt out . " " Besides , you can't keep babying my sister . After all , you're counting on her to wipe your ass when you're old , right ? " Mom looked like she'd been slapped . Meanwhile , I called Mark over and told him to grab Mom's bags - we were hauling her to my sister's place right now . Together , Mark and I practically dragged Mom into the car . The drive took barely thirty minutes before we pulled up outside my sister's apartment . When we knocked , my sister opened the door , and the smell of roasting meat hit us in the face .. Seeing us standing there with Mom , she raised her voice : " Are you kidding me ? You actually brought her over ? " I matched her volume : " Sis , you're totally in the wrong here . Mom's spent years cooking your meals , washing your crap , and carting your kids around . Even if you don't appreciate it , you should at least acknowledge she busted her ass for you . How could you kick her out in the middle of the night ? " My sister lost it completely . Her face turned bright red in a flash : " What the hell are you talking about ? I never kicked Mom out ! " So I put on my best shocked face and gasped : " You didn't? But Mom showed up at my place last night crying her eyes out , saying you and your husband couldn't stand her anymore and kicked her to the curb . " Mom tried to jump in , but I cut her off : " Mom , don't you remember ? Last night you were blubbering about how your eldest never listens and your youngest is so disrespectful . " " Don't worry - if my sister tries to boot you out again , we'll call the cops on her ! " My sister had no choice . She shot daggers at Mom while grudgingly letting her in . After successfully dumping Mom off , I grabbed Mark's arm and we got the hell out of there . Before all this , no matter how swamped I was , Mom would call me daily to trash - talk my sister - treating me like her emotional garbage can . But now , she hadn't called once in a whole week . I was loving the peace and quiet - just the three of us , happy as clams without Mom's drama in our lives . Then one night , as we were sitting around the dinner table , someone pounded on the door . Cal Durned It All Down !