Turning my gaze to Mama and trying to be nonchalant, I asked in as normal a tone as I could muster, "What's up?"

"Your sister is what's up," Mama snapped back at me. "As if you really care – I imagine Amelia can't remember the last time you called her to see how she was doing."

There was a sulky, petulant undertone to Mama's voice and I had to struggle to not snap back that it had been five months ago when Amelia had called me to chew me out for sending my seven year old niece a new 'Barbie' doll for her birthday and telling me that she was...