"A few days after Christmas, my oldest sister ("Clair") sent a text message to me and my siblings (four of us total) saying "due to what happened on Christmas Day, I am taking a break from my family"-nothing more, no explanation, no response to us texting back "what happened?". Christmas was at my house, and I could not think of anything bad that happened, and my other siblings were at a loss also."
"Her son and his wife and kids moved back to the area three months ago and other than some baby gifts when they were newborns, no gifts have ever been given to them, so the expectation caught us completely off guard. As for being the topic of discussion and questions? How could we help ourselves when Clair was charged with vandalism a week before Christmas when she found out the married man she was seeing had no intention of leaving his wife for her, and she keyed and spray painted his car. Plus, why did her son, with supposedly a good job and a house, just up and move back with no explanation and remain unwilling to give one? And why is her unemployed daughter not applying where her uncle works, as they are hiring for entry level positions? Could it be because she knows she will fail the drug test?"
Clair sent a terse text to her siblings saying she was taking a break from the family after Christmas, without explanation or follow-up. Christmas was hosted at the speaker's house, and siblings were surprised because nothing obvious seemed to have gone wrong. Their mother reported that Clair was upset the grandnephews received no gifts and that Clair and her family had been the subject of unwelcome questions. Clair had recently been charged with vandalism after keying and spray-painting a married man's car. Family questions about her children's moves, employment, and possible drug issues contributed to tension. Clair later demanded to know why she was excluded from a cousin's visit.
Read at Slate Magazine
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