The first time my mother called my sister the \u201creal heart of this family,\u201d I was standing in the kitchen holding a cake I’d baked for my own birthday.
\nMy name is Claire Bennett. I was thirty-six, married to nobody, raising a golden retriever named Scout, and working as an insurance claims adjuster outside Columbus, Ohio. My younger sister, Megan, was thirty-two and had never stayed in one job longer than eighteen months.
\nBut Megan had something I didn’t.My parents’ complete and unquestioning admiration.<\/p>\n
When Megan announced she was opening a boutique, Dad helped with the down payment. When her business closed nine months later, Mom called it a learning experience. When I bought my first house, my parents sent a card that read, \u201cCongratulations! Proud of you.\u201d
\nThere wasn’t even a signature at the bottom.
\nI’d learned to laugh about it. Or at least pretend I did.
\nThen, last October, my father called me about the family cabin.<\/p>\n