The Double Effect Chapter 2

So, we got lost.

The difference was, my dad and I left with relief, while my mom left triumphantly.

My mom used to be gentle. Her sharp tongue was honed over nearly two decades of fighting with Grandma. Being able to shut Grandma up would keep her happy until dinner.

For years, my dad stood by my mom. Mostly because Grandma was too much.

Misogyny aside, she insisted I was bad luck!

Brandon and I were born around the same time, just an hour apart. But Grandma listened to some wandering fortune teller who said our fates clashed.

Since Brandon was the "destined genius," I must be the jinx suppressing him.

Grandma wanted to send me away. My parents refused. From then on, Grandma never gave me a kind look.

My parents were educated and didn't believe in such superstitions. Knowing Grandma disliked me, I grew up at my maternal grandma’s house in the city.

We thought distance would fade the nonsense about clashing fates.

But my uncle’s family had other ideas!

When I started elementary school, they moved to the city too.

We bought a condo; they bought a townhouse in the same complex.

We went to the same school, just different classes.

Even my aunt’s boutique opened right across the street from my mom’s office.

We couldn't avoid them!

Just now, as we left the hospital, Uncle’s call came in like a debt collector.

My dad was driving, so my mom answered on speaker, holding the phone far away.

Uncle’s furious voice roared out.

"Dave! Did anything happen while you were driving just now?"

My dad glanced at the phone with disdain.

"No! I'm driving normally. What could happen?"

Uncle asked again, "I heard Roxy is sick? Is that true?"

My mom rolled her eyes.

"Brother, if there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."

"Hey, hey, hey..."

My mom hung up and muted the phone.

"Gold miners couldn't dig up a psycho like him! A few years ago he seemed to care, now he's just like your mom, blaming Roxy for everything that happens to his son."

My dad said quietly, "He didn't say that... forget it. Let's not talk about the kids' exams anymore."

My mom turned to look at me from the passenger seat. "Roxy, you did your best. Don't stress."

I frowned at the frantic WeChat messages from Uncle.

[Roxy, is your dad really okay driving?]

Why was Uncle so nervous about my dad driving?

When we got to the parking lot, my mom noticed a scratch on the rear bumper.

"When did this happen?"

My dad slapped a Tom & Jerry sticker over it. "Company finances are tight. Let's leave it for now."

That night, I scrolled through my friend Lucy's feed.

[So unlucky today! Encountered a bio-weapon in the exam hall, and then got rear-ended leaving the city. Please let the rest of the trip be smooth.]

The photo showed a three-car pileup on the highway. The car in front had its rear end smashed.

And in the corner of the photo, my uncle was angrily holding his phone.

Too much of a coincidence?