I told my sister to never compare her sad marriage to mine.

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                                                                      PART 2 👇                     

PART 2 👇 

told him a man needs to put his wife in her place before she gets a smart mouth like mine. On top of all that, he has a child with another woman. Renee found out two years ago. She still helps care for that baby on weekends, because Fareed told her that's what a good wife does. So when my own sister, sitting there in the middle of that life, told me to take notes on how to treat a man, something in me just snapped. Renee, I said, don't ever compare your sad marriage to mine again. The table went quiet. She looked at me like I'd slapped her, and her eyes filled up right there in front of everyone. My mom didn't say a word in her defense. My aunts did though. Aunt Faye stood halfway up out of her chair. You didn't have to say it like that, she said, in front of everyone. My mom didn't say a word in her defense. My aunts did though. Aunt Faye stood halfway up out of her chair. You didn't have to say it like that, she said, in front of everybody. She said it first. I said, she just did it quieter. Renee didn't answer. She got up, wiped her face with the back of her hand, and walked into the house. A few of my aunts followed her in, throwing looks back at me the whole way. My mom reached over and squeezed my hand under the table. She started it, my mom said. She always does this. Corey came over a few minutes later, must have seen it from across the yard. I told him what happened. He nodded and said we should head out before it got worse. We said our goodbyes to my mom, loaded the kids up, still sticky from popsicles, and left without saying anything else to Renee. Three days later, my phone rang. It was Renee. I almost didn't pick up. You had to run your mouth, she said, before I even said hello. Her voice was shaking. Fareed heard about what you said. Aunt Faye told her daughter, her daughter told his sister, and now it got back to him. Renee, I didn't call him. I didn't tell anyone anything. He said I embarrassed him. He took my phone for two weeks, said I'm not going anywhere without him until he decides he can trust me around my own family again. I stood in my kitchen holding the phone and for a second, I almost felt bad. Then I thought about what she said to me at that table in front of everyone, like she had any right. Renee, I didn't do that to you, I said. He did and you're calling me about it instead of him. She went quiet on the other end. That's the marriage you told me to take notes from, I said, I'm good. I hung up before she could say anything else. She hasn't called since and I haven't reached out either. My mom still drives over there some weekends to see the boys. And she tells me Renee asks about me. I don't have anything else to say to her.

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