Dinner was lovely. Even I have to admit it. I forgot how funny my step-sisters were. Tim actually did a decent job with the turkey, and he gave a prayer before we ate that alluded to my mother without actually opening floodgates that would have ruined the entire meal. Abby squeezed my hand halfway through the blessing and I almost lost it, but I remembered the postcards and instead of depressing me they cheered me so that my tears dissipated before they hit the light of day.

We took turns cleaning up together and I jumped at the chance to dry while Tim washed. "Tim? I've been thinking a lot about my mom lately."

"More than usual?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Would she have approved of the turkey, you think?"

"You could have burned it black and she would have approved. She adored you."

"I adored her. Still do."

"Me too." I'd been drying the same dish for a very long time, but was concentrating very hard on not crying and drying this plate seemed to help. "I'm reading through the postcards she sent me from your trip."

"Ah. That was a good trip. Until... it wasn't. She spent so much time doing things for everyone else, I was happy she was finally doing something for herself. Did I tell you the day before she got sick? We went ziplining. She was so nervous. Said it was something you would do, but she didn't have it in her. I told her if you had it in you, then she must have it in her. You were basically the same person."

"What?!" That made me laugh. "Mom was so brave and fun. I'm the opposite of brave and fun."

"Untrue!" Tim grabbed the drying rag from my hands. "Elizabeth thought you were the most incredible person... and you are. You're just like her."

Just like my mom? It never occurred to me. I looked like my dad, had a bad attitude like my dad, made cowardly decisions like my dad. But... maybe not everyone saw me that way. "I'm so happy I came today. Thank you for inviting me. Over and over. Even when I said no for years." I spoke to my feet.

"Meh. We knew you'd come around eventually," Tim put his arm around me and gave a squeeze. It wasn't even awkward. It was nice. I wondered for the hundredth time that day why I'd been denying myself this joy.

"Nora! You're a Libra, right? Wanna hear your horoscope?" Margot yelled from the table. She, Abby, and Morgan were giggling over a newspaper. "Dad still gets a newspaper! It's so old-timey! Look!" She held her fingers up, blackened from the print.

"Okay, let's hear it!"

Margot cleared her voice and snapped the paper with dramatic flourish. "Love is in the air, Libra! Your sense of style and sparkling personality prove irresistible this week. Forge new friendships and let them morph into love." She raised her eyebrows at me. "Oo lala!"

"Margot, I know a girl I think you'd be really good friends with," I smiled remembering Marnie's "psychic" abilities.

She read everybody's horoscope, then my brother-in-law emerged from the TV room carrying a sleeping Morgan and looking pretty drowsy himself. "Time to go?" Abby asked.

"I think so," he said, but he sounded apologetic. Abby was glowing happily. I felt pretty happy myself. When they dropped me at home I kissed Morgan's sleepy head, and squeezed Abby. "Thank you again for Mom's stuff," I whispered.

"Thank you for asking for it," she whisperedback.

I played with Barbara for a few minutes. Thankfully, she was as exhausted as I pretty quickly. We cozied into my bed and for the first time in as many years as I remember, I didn't wake at 6:17, but at 8am, invigorated and already missing my family.