About My Sisters Read Online Free PDF Page A

“I asked him.”
    â€œHe won’t,” I say. “There’s salad. He can’t stand the smell.”
    â€œYou know, Debra, he should sit with his family when we’re all having dinner. You should insist on it. I don’t see why he can’t.”
    â€œOh no,” I say, looking up at my little sister. “You’re not going to do this, are you? You’re not going to start? Please.”
    Déja looks at me through her big, round blue eyes that have changed not one bit since she was an infant. Occasionally, I’ll allow her to give me parenting advice because I know that the bond she shares with Blaze is a special one and that he will tell her things he won’t share with anyone else. But tonight it’s just not going to happen.
    â€œI just think—” she starts, but I cut her off.
    â€œAnd please, Déja, take off those giant shoes. You’re just too damn tall in them.”
    â€œNot my fault you’re a short person,” she says, but she concedes. On both counts.
    The front door is flung open once more and my parents stride in. “We’re here!” my father exclaims. “Let’s eat!”
    â€œAnd only fifteen minutes late,” Maya says, but in sotto voce.
    I feel the shift occur somewhere in my midsection. Subtly and silently, my sisters and I adjust to the presence of our mother and father. The pattern holds, hardening its shape.
    Our brother is next, lumbering through the still-open door with Danny. “Where’s the grub at?” he says, and Danny laughs, closing the door. Now it’s really a party.
    There is much shuffling of chairs as everyone struggles to find a seat. A central irony of the fact that family dinners are most often here is that we only have four dining chairs and a round table that doesn’t really seat more than five comfortably. Somehow we manage, plates balanced precariously on the edge of thetable, elbows bumping, and folding chairs creaking under too much weight, to accommodate however many people show up. It’s a particularly full table tonight because Bo and Danny take up a lot more space than my little sisters. Maya sets a giant steaming bowl of gourmet macaroni and cheese in the center of the table with a great flourish.
    â€œHere you go,” she says.
    Ah,” my father says, “ mac -aroni and cheese.”
    â€œWhat?” Maya says. “What’s wrong with macaroni and cheese?”
    â€œNothing,” my father says. “Nothing at all. Did I say there was anything wrong with it?”
    â€œYou implied—”
    â€œPity about the pasta,” my mother adds.
    â€œYou know, I can’t keep up with all the different diets,” Maya says. “This isn’t a restaurant. In fact, even if it were a restaurant, you probably couldn’t get all these special requests. Danny, I’m sorry, but maybe you can just pick the tomatoes out. I didn’t put any in the salad.”
    â€œHey, I’m fine,” Danny says. “This is great, really.”
    â€œMaya, if you’re going to invite people to dinner, you can’t have such a bad attitude about feeding them,” my father says. “You can make people physically ill with an attitude like that.”
    My mother and I stare at each other across the table. I mouth the words, “Same argument every time,” and my mother mouths back, “Without fail.”
    Déja says, “Why are you giving Maya a hard time, Daddy? She made this lovely meal—”
    â€œYes, but there are always restrictions,” Lavander pipes in. “There are always rules for Maya’s dinners.”
    â€œWhat is with you?” Maya says, turning to Lavander. “Why do you always have to chime in against me.”
    â€œNobody’s against you,” my father says. “Don’t be paranoid.”
    â€œYou’re always defending her,” Maya says.
    â€œWe have