They Have a Family Group Chat, I’m Not in It Chapter 01
My cousin used my computer and forgot to log out of her WhatsApp.
I was about to log her out when a group message popped up on the screen: [Let’s have a family dinner tonight to celebrate Mateo’s great progress in his exam!]
Out of curiosity, I tapped into the chat.
There were four people in the group: my Dad Richard, my Mom Margaret, my brother Mateo, and my cousin Nova.
Mateo replied: [Just the four of us. Don’t call Hazel. She’s always so petty. She’d fight with Nova over an apple.]
I froze on the spot. It turned out I had long been an outsider in this family.
***
Just then, Mom called me.
“Hazel, your dad and I have something to do tonight. We’ll be home late. Go take down the laundry I hung out on the balcony and fold them neatly.”
“Oh, Mateo and Nova have plans today, too. Don’t wait for us. Just make yourself something to eat.”
Before I could respond, she hung up.
I walked over to the balcony and stared blankly at the rows of clothes belonging to Mateo and Nova.
Everything had been obvious all along. I was just lying to myself the whole time.
Somewhere along the way, I had stopped fitting in with this family.
I grabbed the last apple in the kitchen and took a bite. Nova said she wanted an apple too, and the whole family told me to give it to her.
I cut the apple into two equal halves to share it fairly. Yet all I got was Mom’s sharp rebuke. “Half an apple is barely enough to fill anyone’s stomach!”
With that, she took the half from Nova’s hand and threw it in the trash.
She grabbed Nova’s arm and headed for the door. “Come on, Nova! I’ll take you to buy some!”
And Mateo gritted his teeth. “Why do you have to be so petty? Fighting with Nova over an apple?”
Dad stood nearby, looking like it had nothing to do with him.
I always thought they treated Nova that way because they saw her as an outsider, a guest staying in our home.
But I was wrong. I was the outsider.
I took the clothes down one by one, folded them, and put them in their rooms.
In both of their rooms, the soft beds looked so warm and cozy.
I glanced at my camp bed set up on the balcony, a sharp surge of sorrow welling up in my heart.
The morning after Nova first moved in, she came out with dark circles under her eyes.
Mom asked her with concern if she hadn’t slept well.
She hinted that she was used to sleeping alone and just couldn’t settle in easily.
So I was asked to move to the balcony.
Her mother, who was my aunt, had just passed away. I felt sorry for her unstable emotions, and not wanting to put my mom in an awkward spot, I agreed willingly.
Yet all my thoughtfulness only made them push their limits even further.
Because I was thoughtful, I had to give in to Nova on everything.
Because I was thoughtful, Mom only did laundry for Nova and Mateo. I had to wash my own clothes.
Because I was thoughtful, I had to take care of all the housework while Nova and Mateo just got to enjoy themselves.
But before Nova came, this family loved me, too.
How did everything change the moment she showed up?
Thinking about all this, my chest tightened again.
I sat on my bed and scrolled through my phone aimlessly.
Nova posted a new photo on her finsta.
In the picture, my parents, Mateo, and Nova were all laughing warmly.
The scene looked so sweet.
The caption said: [I finally have a new mom. Thank you, Aunt Margaret, Uncle Richard, and Mateo, for giving me a second home.]
Down in the comments, people wrote:
[Congratulations. Congratulations! Your aunt’s family is truly your lifelong salvation.]
[Congrats! Wishing you happiness forever.]
I casually liked the post and typed a comment: [Wish your whole family everlasting joy and happiness.]
Within seconds, the post disappeared.
She must have forgotten that she’d followed her own finsta from my phone a while ago and never unfollowed.
Right after that, she called me.
“Hazel, don’t take that IG post seriously. I just posted it for fun.”