Right before our Thanksgiving family dinner Chapter 2

The next morning, I went to the salon down the street.

The stylist held up the jagged, uneven remnants of my hair and sighed.

"I can't even blend this into a bob. Whoever did this went way too deep on one side. I have to give you a pixie cut to even it out."

I nodded.

"Just cut it."

The scissors snipped methodically.

In the mirror, I watched the long hair I had painstakingly maintained for seven years fall to the floor.

It wasn't that I never wanted to cut my hair.

But seven years ago, when I first started working, I was broke and commuting two hours a day on the subway. The hardest nights were when Ethan and I sat on the steps of our cramped apartment eating cheap instant ramen.

He would always twirl the ends of my hair around his fingers.

"Don't ever cut it," he'd say. "Long hair looks so beautiful on you. I want you to look exactly like this on our wedding day."

I listened to him.

And I kept it for seven years.

As the stylist brushed the stray hairs off my neck, she offered a sympathetic smile.

"The short hair actually looks really sharp on you."

I gave a faint smile back.

"Yeah."

Suddenly, it didn't feel like such a tragedy to lose it anymore.

When I got back to the house, there were four pairs of shoes in the entryway.

But the living room was empty.

I was about to call my mom when my Instagram feed refreshed.

Chloe had posted a carousel of photos from the downtown Holiday Light Show.

My mom and dad were holding hot cocoas. Chloe was in the middle, and Ethan was standing right next to my dad.

The final photo was a selfie of the four of them smiling brightly at the camera.

The caption was just two words: "Whole squad."

I stared at the photos for a long time.

My mom had explicitly told me that we would all go together once I got back from the salon.

They probably just got tired of waiting.

Or maybe, they never intended to wait at all.

Half an hour later, the front door unlocked.

Chloe walked in carrying shopping bags. When she saw me, she let out a loud whistle.

"Whoa, you actually went full G.I. Jane."

My mom followed her inside. "You cut it that short?"

She frowned, circling me to inspect the cut. "That stylist is terrible. You look like a teenage boy."

I looked at her.

"You guys went to the light show?"

My mom paused.

"It was a last-minute decision. Chloe said it would be too crowded later, so we just went for a quick walk. You were getting your hair cut anyway, we'll all go together next time."

My dad swapped his shoes for slippers and added dismissively:

"It's just a light show. It's not like they're never doing it again."

Chloe had already skipped back to her bedroom.

When she came back out, she was wearing a delicate pearl hair clip.

I froze.

It was mine.

Ethan had given it to me for my birthday last year.

I walked over to her.

"That belongs to me."

Chloe touched the pearls. "I know."

"You can't even use it with your hair like that anyway, so I'm just borrowing it."

I held out my hand. "Give it back."

Her face instantly scowled.

My mom quickly stepped between us. "What are you doing? Chloe is just trying it on. Your hair is gone, if you leave it in your drawer it's just going to collect dust."

My dad groaned in annoyance. "Are you two seriously fighting over a cheap piece of plastic?"

I looked at Ethan.

He stared at the clip for a few seconds. "What clip?"

My chest suddenly felt completely hollow.

"The one you bought me for my birthday last year."

He let out an "Oh."

As if he had finally remembered.

Then he smiled.

"Just let Chloe wear it. It perfectly matches the dress she has on today."

Chloe immediately shook her head triumphantly.

"See? Ethan said it's fine."

I didn't ask for it again.

That night, corporate emailed me my official transfer documents.

I had to report to the New York office in three days.

After signing the digital forms, I pulled out my suitcase.

When my mom walked into my room and saw the open suitcase on the floor, she paused.

"Why are you packing so early?"

I stopped folding my shirts.

She answered her own question.

"Oh, because you guys are getting formally engaged by the end of the year? Makes sense. It's a good idea to start moving your stuff over to Ethan's place slowly."

As she spoke, she casually pulled a brand-new, tags-still-attached beige trench coat out of my closet.

"Have you worn this yet? If you aren't going to wear it, let me give it to Chloe. She's been looking for a coat exactly this color."

I looked at her.

And I suddenly smiled.

"Give it to her."

My mom smiled back brightly. "See, that's more like it. Sisters shouldn't hold grudges over silly little things."

She walked out of the room hugging my coat.

She didn't even bother to ask why my suitcase was entirely filled with my birth certificate, my social security card, and my heavy winter clothes.