Chapter 2 - The Celebration That Became an InspectionMy family arrived the following Saturday carrying no housewarming gift.
Brooke brought a measuring tape.
Mother carried a notebook.
Father had printed furniture listings.
Kyle arrived with his laptop and immediately asked for the Wi-Fi password, even though my internet had not yet been installed.
“This place is adorable,” Brooke said as she entered.
She did not hug me.
Instead, she walked straight upstairs.
I followed her and found her standing in the largest guest bedroom, looking out at the backyard.
“This is the one,” she said.
“The one for what?”
“Our bedroom.”
I stared at her.
Brooke turned as though my confusion were unreasonable.
“Kyle and I need to leave Mom and Dad’s place. They’re always interrupting our meetings.”
“You don’t have meetings.”
“We will when the company launches.”
“You’re not launching it from here.”
Brooke rolled her eyes.
“Mom said you’d act like this.”
“You discussed moving into my house before asking me?”
“It makes sense. You live alone.”
“That doesn’t mean my house is empty.”
“It has three bedrooms.”
“And all three belong to me.”
She folded her arms.
“You’re being territorial.”
“Yes. It is my territory.”
Brooke walked past me and entered the smaller bedroom.
“Fine. Kyle and I can take this one, and the bigger room can be the studio.”
“No.”
She ignored me and measured the wall.
I took the measuring tape from her hand.
“Brooke, listen carefully. You are not moving into this house. You are not starting a company here. You are not storing anything here.”
Mother appeared in the doorway.
“Why are you shouting?”
“I’m not shouting. I’m explaining something Brooke should already understand.”
Mother stepped into the room and placed her notebook on the windowsill.
“We’re only making plans.”
“For my house.”
“For everyone’s comfort.”
Father joined us.
He looked around and nodded.
“I could install shelves along that wall.”
“You’re not installing anything,” I said.
His expression hardened. “You don’t need to speak to me that way.”
“I’m speaking clearly because no one is listening.”
Kyle finally came upstairs.
He smiled at me as if we were negotiating a minor misunderstanding.
“Jenna, we’d pay something.”
“How much?”
He hesitated.
Brooke answered for him.
“We’d help with groceries.”
“I’m not asking for groceries.”
“You have a mortgage anyway,” she said. “Whether we live here or not, you’ll still pay it.”
“That is not how rent works.”
Mother threw up her hands.
“This family has become so obsessed with money.”
I nearly laughed.
They were discussing taking over two rooms in the most expensive purchase of my life, yet I was the one obsessed with money.
I walked downstairs and opened the front door.
“The visit is over.”
No one moved.
Father looked stunned.
“You’re asking us to leave?”
“Yes.”
“We drove two hours.”
“You spent those two hours making plans for property that isn’t yours.”
Mother picked up her handbag.
“I hope you remember this when you need us.”
“I’ve remembered every time I needed you.”
The words escaped before I could stop them.
Mother looked wounded, but not because they were false.
When I had been sick during college, she had stayed home because Brooke needed help choosing a dress for a party.
When my first serious relationship ended, Father told me to stop being dramatic.
When I earned my first promotion, Brooke announced her engagement to a man she later left three weeks before the wedding, and my celebration dinner became an emergency family meeting about her feelings.
I had learned long ago that I could rely on myself.
But they still expected me to remain available whenever they needed money, time, or space.
Brooke stormed downstairs.
“You know what your problem is? You think buying a house makes you better than us.”
“No,” I said. “I think buying a house makes me its owner.”
They left in angry silence.
That evening, I discovered Brooke’s measuring tape beneath the guest-room window.
Beside it was a small yellow note in Mother’s handwriting.
Brooke’s room. Do not buy furniture yet.
I held the note for a long time.
May you like
Then I placed it inside the drawer of my new desk.
Something told me I might need evidence later.
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