Greta’s patience with her mother snapped. “I don’t actually believe you’re as oblivious to Sadie’s shit as you make out to be. I think you know she’ll stir things up so that you don’t have to do it, and then you can sit back and act like you’re the nice one while she does the dirty work. Like at the auction this year. You knew I’d hate it, because you know I’m queer and you know I think the auction is a horrific callback to selling enslaved people. But you let Sadie be the one I was mad at so your hands would be clean. You want us all to stay here, under your thumb, so you’ll always know what we’re doing and you don’t have to do the work to figure out who you are or what you want for yourself besides being a mother.”

Greta ran out of breath as her brain caught up with her mouth.

Her mother goggled at her, mouth open, but nothing came out.

“Greta, don’t,” Tillie murmured. Her sister looked scared. Even Adelaide wasn’t meeting her eyes.

“No, I’m sorry, but I have to say this. I don’t want this life. I have no scorn for it! It’s just not what’s right for me.”

Greta could practically see her mother wipe her previous comment away and choose to focus on her most recent one.

“You don’t need to work with us if you don’t want to,” Nell said stiffly. “You could do whatever you want and we can still be a family.”

Greta wanted to scream. “We are still a family! Me living in New Orleans, or Maggie living on the West Coast, it doesn’t make us any less of a family.”

Their mother sniffed. “Is it so terrible that I want all my babies near me?” she said.

“No, of course it’s not terrible,” Greta said. “It’s just not what’s going to happen.” She waited for Addie or her father to chime in, but they didn’t. “I wish you could be happy for me,” Greta said, taking them all in with her eyes. “Did you hear the part about how I’m in love with Carys and I adore New Orleans?” she added hopefully.

Tillie nodded absently. Adelaide chewed on her lip. Her father frowned at his uneaten plate of latkes and pot roast.

Her mother said, “You’ve only been there a few weeks, Greta. I’m glad you’ve had a fun trip, but we’re talking about the rest of your life! How will you live?”

“I’ll get a job.”