I answered the phone and my mother said, “Cancel your plans. Pick your sister up at eight. Take her for a drink.”

     Mom doesn’t take “no” for an answer. In another universe, she’s a crime boss or a third-grade teacher.

     My sister and her boyfriend have hit a rough patch and Mom thought she could use some stress relief. “Your sister is going crazy,” she told me.

     It was true. When I pulled up to the house, AJ was trying to catch her with a butterfly net.

     My sister unloaded as soon as she got into the car. I’ve never seen her so animated.

     “I don’t even know why I have a boyfriend,” she said. “It’s...

Please subscribe to keep reading.