Wallis considered this for a minute. “Remeasuring the Moon, or When Everything You’re Sure of...” She stopped and rolled back to face the ceiling. “I don’t know. I used to be good at this game. Now I’m getting tangled in subtitles.”

“The first part is good,” I said.

When she left for college, Wallis had asked Cricket not to alter her room, as she had with mine, swapping out my double for a beautiful canopied daybed. Wallis felt the idea of coming home to one’s childhood bedroom left untouched by time was poignant and meaningful. But I now recognized the dolls and lunch boxes and the faded floral wallpaper were making it harder to say goodbye.

“You know who I haven’t heard from?” Wallis asked me.

“If I start guessing, I’ll never stop,” I said, flopping onto my back.

“And your tone tells me that we shouldn’t bother.”

I shrugged. “People do what they need to do. And, mostly, they need to judge.”

“But it’s one thing to judge Dad,” Wallis said. “It’s another thing to stop responding to my texts. To just completely ice me out.”

“Who’s cutting you out?” I meant, who now?

“My newsletter people,” Wallis said, sitting up and reclining into her pillows. “I think they must’ve started a new group text without me. And I’m off the LISTSERV. I mean, this is a volunteer task force. I literally want to give my time away to destroy the patriarchy, and they’re like, nah.”

“I know there are good people in that group.” I also sat up, tucked a knee under my chin. “Maybe some even disagree with you being left out. They just must’ve been thinking about the optics.”

“They were pretty quick to kick me out. And without giving me a chance to defend myself? That’s hard to swallow. I anticipated some hostility. I just didn’t see it coming from my own friends.”

Speaking of friends. “Mac just called Cricket,” I said. “He doesn’t want us to attend the wedding.”

“He’s uninviting us?”

“Not exactly. He was trying to guilt Cricket into dropping out. She didn’t fall for it.”

“God, people are vile.”

Although I didn’t like it, I understood Mac’s position. We weren’t the most desirable of guests. But this subject would not exactly cheer my sister, so I gave her the best advice I could summon. “Remember how Cricket always used to adjust our shoulder blades? She wanted us so badly to have fine, upright posture, with our chins high and boobs out. Well, for the next few months we’re going to do the opposite. We’re going to hunch our shoulders and assume the posture of a turtle retreating into its shell, okay?” This made Wallis smile. “This will pass.” She nodded like she believed me. Good. At least one of us had faith.