Chapter 5: The Last Straw

After the meal, the family gathered to chat. The living room was crowded, voices overlapping. The air was thick with the smell of sweat and perfume, the tension palpable.

My brother-in-law’s dad, reeking of booze, came in and pulled him over, making him stand with his legs apart. The gesture was sudden, awkward. I watched the confusion spread across the room.

“Come on, Emily, crawl under him.”

“As the saying goes, crawl under the groom’s legs for good luck—then you’ll be a good wife.” The words hung in the air, heavy with old superstition and the weight of a tradition that had no place in this family, not anymore. The silence that followed was absolute, broken only by the sound of my sister’s quiet, steady breath.

I felt something in me go very, very still.