by sigh (Boston, MA)
One time my step dad came home from a trip. We were all excited to see him, and he had some gifts.
Two gifts, to be exact. One for my mother. One for my sister (his daughter).
They both opened the boxes in front of me. Inside were matching jackets, a large one for my mother, and a small one for my sister. They ooo’ed and
aw’ed…. and I just sat there, utterly stunned, thinking, “Why did they get matching jackets and not me?” I could not believe what I was seeing.
And of course nobody said anything. It was as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all.
And actually, in one sense that was true. Nothing out of the ordinary HAD happened. Their little family enjoyed the gifts as if I was not even there.