I laughed it off at the time because laughter was the safest way to move discomfort out of a room, but Sarah did not find the situation funny. Years later, during our counseling sessions, she told me that she felt like she was married to every obligation my family decided I had.
I hated hearing that she was right, even though I knew deep down that my inability to set boundaries was a major factor in our erosion. Our divorce was not caused by my sister or my mother, but they lived in the cracks of our relationship and widened them over time.
When Sarah asked for boundaries, I treated it like a declaration of war against my parents, and I gave in to Tiffany’s demands just to avoid her drama. That is a special kind of failure where you choose the people who take from you because they punish your refusal more than your loved ones punish your weakness.
After the divorce, my parents co signed the lease for my new apartment because my credit had taken a hit and my savings were depleted by legal fees. I was grateful at the time, and my mother told me that I was lucky because most parents would not offer such a fresh start.