And I have mixed feelings about my aunt and cousin. During the fight last year where my mother blew up at me in front of my aunt, which she had never seen before, my aunt did not come to my defense. She never even called me to see if I was alive and didn’t crash in a car accident after I left in tears. When I told my aunt, that same time, before the blow up, how I had lost my virginity to a date rape, she literally turned her back to me and changed the topic!

But yes, she has flown down for my kids’ milestone events. I do appreciate that.

My cousin is a terrible snob. It’s rather hit and miss with them.

So, while I know it was the right thing to do, and I did want to call my cousin, something made me put it off. I really don’t know why I didn’t just call her right away. Her father died. My bad.

As for my sisters, they intentionally didn’t call her because she has been totally uninvolved with them and never called them all these years. So they have chips on their shoulders. But I don’t.

There is this hierarchy of this woman power, pecking order in my family. My mom and aunt are both extremely intelligent. But my mom is the 50’s housewife, and my aunt is the extremely high achieving professional. They have a rivalry. My former frenemy called them Jeannie and her evil sister! (From I Dream of Jeannie). One is blonde and the other brunette, too!