Chapter 2

I walked down the stairs, each step deliberate.

The smell of grilling meat hit me, a smell I once associated with summer and family.

Now, it was the smell of the beginning of the end.

In the backyard, Rick was by the grill, a picture of a devoted husband, slightly confused, but charming.

Brenda Hayes sat in the best patio chair, a queen holding court.

Jess, my daughter, hovered near her, already fetching her a lemonade.

Leo, my grandson, was too young in this timeline to understand, playing with his trucks near the flowers. Mark, Jess's husband, looked uncomfortable, as he often did around Rick's performative decline.

Rick saw me, his face arranged into a look of mild, searching confusion.

"Ellie, dear, you made it."

He then turned, with a flourish, and presented the last perfectly grilled steak, sizzling on the spatula, to Brenda.

"For you, my dear Brenda, the special one."

Brenda beamed, accepting it like a tribute.

Jess turned to me, her smile strained, already a little annoyed.

"Mom, Brenda was just saying she's craving that seven-layer salad you make, the one with the artichoke hearts and the special dressing. Could you whip it up? It won't take you long."

Just like that.

Years of this, I remembered.

Being overlooked, my efforts taken for granted.

The family trip to Hawaii, "Oh, Mom, it would be too much for you, with your health."

My health, which they were systematically destroying.

The seven-layer salad was complex, time-consuming.

Brenda suddenly craved it.

Of course, she did.

I looked at Jess, my daughter, already siding with them, already making me the servant.

My internal voice was a low growl, but my face, I hoped, was calm.