At Our Family BBQ, My Parents Called Me Useless—Then My Sister Applied For A Job At My Firm
The scent of hickory smoke and sizzling sausage floated through the humid air as the Tran family’s annual Labor Day cookout kicked off in Baton Rouge. Kids chased each other through the grass, plastic plates stacked with cornbread and coleslaw clattered on folding tables, and my uncles argued about LSU football like it was a court case.
I leaned against a magnolia tree near the edge of the yard—38 now, though my family still saw me as “the one who never quite made it.” My younger sister, Felicia, sparkled in a canary-yellow wrap dress, charming our aunts with tales of her job prospects and international travels.
“Felicia just wrapped up her MBA at Columbia,” my mom crowed, loud enough to carry over the buzz of the bug zapper. “She’s been interviewing with some real powerhouses—Amazon, Bain, even Tesla.”
She beamed, clearly basking in reflected glory. I took a slow sip from my sweet tea, waiting for the punchline.