As I drove to Lititz on Friday to meet my parents and brother, I kept thinking about the last time I went to meet them, three years ago. Before I moved to Philly, before grad school. I was so desperate to see them. I had not seen my youngest siblings for almost two years. It was a shock to be with them, to notice my features and mannerisms on other people.
Families are such complex entities. They shape us and we shape them.
Last week, Baby Sister laughed when she saw where I parked. “I always park there!” she told me. “My car is getting work done. Why did you park there?”
“It seemed like a good spot,” I said. We decided we both gravitated towards that particular spot since it was shady and our father always parks in the shade.
My mother told me, “I didn’t realize how exhausting it would be, packing up a whole life.”
“This just feels so weird,” my father and brother kept repeating.
The cat made her feelings clear by wailing for the better part of the afternoon. She has never left Thailand before. This basement is like nothing she’s ever seen, and her claws keep getting caught in the carpets.
My mother had to correct herself when she told the landlady they would only be staying a year, because this time they plan to stay in the States for good.
This is just so weird. So final. But I am so, so glad to see them.
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