Mom Said ‘Skip Thanksgiving – Your Brother’s Wife Thinks You’re Too Poor’ — Then The News Broke…
“Sarah, I know things have been weird between us. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel less than. You know how it is, you’re my little sister, I was just teasing. I’m really proud of you. What you’ve built is incredible.”
“I actually have some ideas about how you could expand the business, or if you’re looking for new investment opportunities, I’d love to discuss them. My company has some connections that might be valuable to you. We should meet up. I’ll buy dinner anywhere you want, seriously, name the place. I want to make things right.”
I didn’t respond. Sunday, Dad tried the guilt approach.
“Sarah, your mother hasn’t stopped crying. She’s devastated that you’re shutting us out. This is killing her. Whatever we did to upset you, we’re sorry, but you can’t punish the whole family like this.”
“We love you. We’ve always loved you. You’re our daughter, our sister. Family is everything. Money doesn’t change that. Please let’s talk, let’s work this out. Don’t throw away your family over a misunderstanding.”
I didn’t respond to that either. The extended family was a different story.
Aunt Linda called Sunday evening. I actually answered.
“Sarah, honey, I just want you to know that I think what you did is incredible, and I’m furious with your mother.”
“You are?”
“She uninvited you from Thanksgiving because that snob Vanessa thought you were too poor! I told her yesterday that she should be ashamed of herself. I can’t believe they treated you like that.”
“Thanks, Aunt Linda.”
“Listen, I’m not calling for money or anything like that. I just wanted you to know that I’m proud of you, and I’m sorry if I never took your work seriously. I should have asked more questions. I should have been more supportive.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Are you doing okay? This must be overwhelming.”
“Honestly, I’m fine. Better than fine.”
She laughed.
“I bet you are. Listen, if you need anything—and I mean anything—you call me. And if your mother keeps harassing you, you tell her to call me. I’ll set her straight.”
That call actually felt good. Cousin Jennifer called next.
“Sarah, I just want to say that Tyler and Vanessa are getting absolutely roasted in the extended family chat. Like, roasted! Everyone’s talking about how they uninvited you and now look stupid. It’s beautiful.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“There’s an extended family chat?”
“Oh yeah! The one without your immediate family in it. We created it years ago because your mom is exhausting.”
“Anyway, everyone’s on your side. Uncle Rob said Tyler couldn’t pour water out of a boot with instructions on the heel, and Aunt Linda said Vanessa wouldn’t recognize class if it bit her botoxed ass.”
I actually laughed.
“Aunt Linda said that?”
“Direct quote. This is the most entertainment we’ve had in years.”
Monday morning, I went to my office like normal. My team was congratulatory but professional. We had work to do.
The acquisition wasn’t complete yet, and we had clients to serve. Around 10:00 a.m., my assistant knocked on my door.
“Sarah, there’s a man here to see you. He says he’s your brother. He doesn’t have an appointment.”
I looked up from my laptop.
“Tyler’s here?”
“He’s in the lobby. Says it’s important.”
I considered sending him away, but curiosity won out.
“Send him up.”
Five minutes later, Tyler walked into my office. He stopped in the doorway, staring around.
My office was on the 23rd floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. There was modern furniture and artwork on the walls.
My framed Forbes 30 Under 30 feature from last year hung behind my desk.
“Holy shit,”
Tyler said. He walked in slowly, still staring.
“This is… this is your office?”
“This is my office.”
“But you… we thought you…”
“You thought I worked IT support somewhere. I know.”
He sat down in one of the chairs across from my desk. He looked smaller than I’d ever seen him—diminished.
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
he asked quietly.
“You never asked.”
“That’s not fair! You let us think—”
“I let you think what you wanted to think. You decided I was a failure because I didn’t follow your path. You made assumptions; I didn’t correct them.”
“We’re family, Sarah!”
“Are we?”
He flinched.
“What does that mean?”
“It means you uninvited me from Thanksgiving because your wife thought I was too poor to sit at her table. It means you spent years making jokes about your little sister who plays with computers. It means Mom and Dad constantly told me to get a real job while you were the golden child.”
“I didn’t know you felt that way.”
“You didn’t care enough to find out.”
He was quiet for a long moment.
“Vanessa feels terrible.”
