At Family Dinner, My Sister Introduced Her New Boyfriend — And For Some Reason, They All Kept Staring At Me. When He Asked What I Do For Work, My Mom Cut Me Off: “Don’t Embarrass Us.” Everyone Laughed. My Sister Added, “Maybe Lie This Time, So You Don’t Sound So Pathetic.” I Just Smiled… Until Their Faces Went Pale.

A brief, awkward silence fell. My sister shot Jackson a warning look that he missed entirely. My mother became very interested in rearranging her silverware.

“Yes,” I said carefully. “I’ve been focusing on North American predator species. Just finished a series on mountain lions in Colorado.”

My father made a small noise that might have been a suppressed snort. My mother jumped in with practiced smoothness.

“Sheldon’s always had such an active imagination. Even as a little boy, he’d spend hours in the woods behind the house.”

The subtle diminishment was so familiar, I almost didn’t notice it anymore—the way she spoke of my career as if it were a childhood phase I hadn’t outgrown.

“Actually…” I started to explain about the magazine interest in my work, but Amanda interrupted.

“Jackson just purchased the most beautiful property in Cambridge,” she announced. “Tell them about the historical features, honey.”

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