My dad stood between my mother and Carol. He was obviously happy.
"That's okay. You're the most important person here. As long as you like fish, dad is willing to pick fish bones for you for the rest of my life."
They must have had a great New Year’s Eve dinner without me.
I didn't know that my parents’ love could last so long.
They were back.
I wanted to escape, refusing to spy on their happiness.
But I still couldn't leave the house.
I could only watch them sitting on the sofa together, watching TV, staying up together, and laughing.
My mother said that she would give Carol a gift that was better than ever tomorrow to celebrate her having a boyfriend.
"What about me?
If they found out I was dead at home tomorrow, would they be a little sad?
Or would they scold me for bringing bad luck to them during the holiday?
If they scold me, I'll have to apologize. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." I thought.
My father was the most promising one among our relatives.
On every New Year's Day, our relatives would visit us in the morning.
That year was no exception.
I heard the sound of my relatives talking loudly early in the morning.
They praised my father for being able to lead his company so well, and then they praised my mother for looking so good.
They also talked about how they envied my parents for having Carol and me as their daughters.
My mother was also proud. "Carol has been a good girl since she was a child, and I never had to worry about her."
She didn't even mention me during the whole process.
One of my aunts spoke of me,
"Where's Caroline? Why don't we see her? I even prepared a gift for her."
"Don't get me started. She's mad at us. She didn't even have the New Year's Eve dinner with us. She's still sleeping now."
"We've spoiled her too much since she was little, which is why she has become selfish and rebellious. I asked her to study art in college, but she went against me and studied veterinary. So, she has to deal with cats and dogs all day, cleaning up their poop and wiping their piss. That's just indecent."
I stood at the door and listened to their conversations.
My mother couldn't stop talking about me. She seemed to want to tell people everything she was unhappy about me.
In that way, she could prove she made a mistake having me.
I didn't hear my aunt's reply.
All I heard was my mother praising Carol again.