My parents treated her like proof they had done something right. When Ashley smiled, my mother glowed. When Ashley cried, my father rearranged his schedule. When Ashley made a mistake, it wasn’t a mistake, it was an opportunity for growth, a learning experience, a misunderstanding caused by other people.
When I made a mistake, it was character.
I learned early how the rules worked.
Ashley got a brand-new car for her sixteenth birthday. White. Shiny. Still smelled like plastic and money. She posted pictures with a bow bigger than her head. My parents stood behind her smiling like they’d won a prize.
For my sixteenth birthday, I got a used bike from a garage sale.
My mother said, “It’ll build character.”
