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invite his favorite sister-in-law over? Some days later, my aunt dropped me off for a date. Too quickly, the date was over and after an hour of waiting, she finally came, along with my grandmother, sister and one of my younger cousins. My grandmother explained my aunt and uncle had argued over my mother. He yelled and shouted at my aunt and threw glasses and chairs. My sister was completely terrified, while I, myself was just having the time of my life, what suckers, right? My uncle was speaking badly of my mother, so my aunt spoke up for her. He went completely bonkers and kicked us out, but wait, he said he disliked submissiveness? With nowhere to go, we practically became hobos, but not those trashy hobos, nice and clean ones. We drove around for hours; To be honest cruising around isn’t as fun as movies make it seem. I wholeheartedly hoped that family is family.
When my mother returned from the trip, we went to my aunt’s house more than twice; she ignored us. My mother didn’t apologize this time. Is family really family?
Late July, we moved to Phoenix. My mother's sister decided to, at my shrewd, sardonic uncle's whim, disown my mother as a sister. We continued with our lives, surely it was a million times better than my aunt's life with her mediocre marriage and her mediocre children. In October my aunt called her cousin, saying she missed my mother and that she wanted her back in her life. The tables have indeed been turned, now her husband is her only family. My aunt’s cousin told my mother how my aunt felt, but for once she didn’t care. Thank goodness at that, wouldn't want another melodramatic, mental meltdown from my manly, mature, masculine uncle. I seem to understand now, family is chosen.
It’s currently November, my mother is happy, and without a sister. We never speak of my aunt, my mom claimed she’s been “whitewashed” by my uncle. Evidently she is no longer “Mexican enough” for my mother, how about that? Even still, I contemplate a lingering question in the back of my mind, “Family is family, right?”