I also began noticing a shift in her attitude and how she treated me, my nephew, our parents and others who were squarely in her corner every step of the way. As her treatment of us worsened, every relative in her orbit enabled her less than ideal behavior – until we did not, which resulted in complete avoidance and severed lines of communication.

I always remembered my sister as being strong, funny, and resourceful.  When my sister would come home from college to visit, I could barely contain my excitement of her pulling into the driveway! This excitement was partly due to genuinely wanting to see her, hearing about her college and away-from-home stories. Her home visits were so welcoming because they ushered in a weekend of peace and quiet from my father.

Allowing room for the human element and the possibility that people eventually see the light, I think the deterioration of my aunt’s health was the straw that broke the camel’s back. All the previous rage-inducing mischiefs committed by the Golden Child were never properly contextualized for my father and his enabling siblings to finally see them for what they were – the acts of a person they enabled for years.

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