I contacted everyone who had ever been good to me and my children, who had made us feel included and appreciated. By the time I was done, I had invited 22 members of our extended family to spend Labor Day weekend at Seaside Haven. I booked the entire resort, hired a private chef to prepare all of the meals, and scheduled activities for people of all ages.
I did not invite Mom or Olivia. Labor Day weekend was fantastic. All of my relatives were astounded by the resort, often wondering how I could afford such a magnificent setting.
I simply smiled and said I had a good year. On Saturday evening, Uncle Benjamin called me aside. “Amelia, this is unbelievable.
You’ve really done something special here. Your mom must be so proud.”
“Mom doesn’t know about it,” I stated casually. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I didn’t invite her or Olivia.”
Uncle Benjamin appeared confused.
“But why? This is a family gathering.”
“Benjamin, for 8 years, Mom has told me there’s not enough room at her beach house for me and my kids. Every single summer, we’ve been excluded from the family vacation because Olivia’s family takes up too much space.
So, this year, I decided to host my own family gathering, and unfortunately, there’s just not enough room for everyone.”
The truth quickly spread throughout the group. Everyone was aware of the beach house predicament. They had heard Mom’s justifications and Olivia’s remarks over the years.
Some of them had even quietly questioned Mom why I wasn’t included in the summer vacation. Monday morning, while everyone was checking out and heading home, my phone began to ring. It was Mom.
“Amelia, where are you? Benjamin just called me with some ridiculous story about you owning a resort. That can’t be true.”
“It’s true.”
“Mom, what?
How is that possible? You don’t have that kind of money.”
“Apparently, I do.”
There was a prolonged pause. “Amelia, I’m confused.
If you could afford something like this, why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you invite us?”
“You told me there wasn’t enough room at your beach house. I’m telling you there’s not enough room at my resort.”
“That’s completely different.
The beach house is is what, Mom?”
“Not big enough for everyone.”
“Well, guess what? Neither is my resort.”
“But Amelia, we’re family.”
“Funny how you remember that now.”
I hung up. 20 minutes later, Olivia called.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she exclaimed into the phone. “Mom is crying her eyes out. How could you do this to us?”
“Do what, Olivia?
Have a family gathering? I thought you’d be happy. You always said I should be more successful.”
“You know what I mean.
You deliberately excluded us.”
“The way you excluded me and my kids for 8 years.”
“That was different. The beach house really isn’t big enough for everyone.”
“And my resort really isn’t big enough for everyone either. Funny how that works.”
“This is petty and vindictive.
Amelia, you’re better than this.”
“No, Olivia. I’m exactly this. I’m tired of being treated like the family failure when I work twice as hard as anyone else.
I’m tired of watching my kids get left out because you decided your family matters more than mine.”
The weeks that followed were really intense. Mom contacted me every day, sometimes crying, sometimes angry, and she always demanded to know why I was punishing them. “I raised you better than this, Amelia.
This isn’t how family treats each other.”
“You’re right, Mom. Family doesn’t treat each other the way you’ve treated me for the past 8 years.”
“I never excluded you. There genuinely wasn’t enough room.”
“There was room, Mom.
You just chose to give it all to Olivia. Every year, you chose her family over mine. Every year, you made my kids feel like they didn’t matter.
Did you think I wouldn’t notice? Did you think they wouldn’t notice?”
Olivia took a different strategy. She began telling other family members that I was harsh and nasty, hurting innocent children because of a perceived insult.
But the family members who had attended the resort weekend knew the truth. They had heard Mom’s excuses and Olivia’s criticisms for years. They had seen me grin and nod despite being constantly excluded from family gatherings.
Uncle Benjamin really called Mom and informed her that she owed me an apology. “Evelyn, that girl has been nothing but gracious for years while you’ve treated her like a secondass family member. Now she’s more successful than any of us, and she’s sharing that success with people who actually appreciate her.”
Aunt Carol backed him up.
“The way Olivia talks to Amelia is appalling. Evelyn, I’ve heard her make those comments about Amelia’s job, and it’s mean-spirited. Amelia has every right to celebrate her success with people who support her.”
The resort was thriving.
The Labor Day weekend had produced fantastic word of mouth, and I was scheduled solid throughout the fall. I hired more employees, extended the restaurant’s hours, and began planning winter improvements to include a spa. My graphic design firm was also prospering.
The success of the resort had given me more confidence in other aspects of my life. I was charging higher rates, taking on larger projects, and my reputation in the sector was gradually improving. Alex and Mia were also flourishing.
They were happy of what I had accomplished, glad that we could now afford the wonderful things their cousins took for granted. More significantly, they were learning that hard effort pays off and that you don’t have to put up with horrible treatment simply because someone is family. Thanksgiving was approaching and it was traditionally celebrated at Mom’s house.
She called me in early November. “Amelia, I hope you’ll come to Thanksgiving dinner. I know we’ve had our differences, but it’s important for the family to be together.”
“Will there be enough room for everyone, Mom?”
“Of course there will.
Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Interesting. Your dining room table seats eight. Olivia’s family is six people.
You and Dad make eight. Where exactly are Alex, Mia, and I supposed to sit?”
“We’ll figure something out. We always do, right?”
“Olivia’s family gets the main table and my kids and I get folding chairs in the kitchen.
Thanks, but we’ll pass.”
“Amelia, you’re being unreasonable.”
“I’m being realistic. For the first time in my life, I’m being realistic about how this family works.”
Instead, I invited Uncle Benjamin and Aunt NY’s families, as well as the Martinez family to Thanksgiving dinner at the resort. We enjoyed a wonderful supper cooked by the chef.
There was plenty of room for everyone, and the kids had fun on the beach after dinner. In December, Mom made another round of calls. “Amelia, I’ve been thinking maybe we should have Christmas at your resort this year.
It would be nice for everyone to see what you’ve built.”
“That’s a generous offer, Mom, but the resort is booked solid through New Year’s. I don’t have any availability.”
“But surely you could make an exception for family.”
“I could make an exception for family that treats me like family.”
“What do you want from me, Amelia? Do you want me to apologize?
Fine. I’m sorry. I’m sorry if you felt excluded from the beach house.
I was just trying to accommodate everyone.”
“No, Mom. You were accommodating Olivia. There’s a difference.”
“Olivia has four children and I have two.
Apparently, your math says four is more important than two.”
Mom finished our chat by hanging up on me. I spent Christmas morning with Alex and Mia at home before driving to the resort for Christmas dinner with the family members who had become my true support system. We had 25 people there, with the exception of Mom, Dad, Olivia, and her family.
It was the finest Christmas I had in years. There have been no passive aggressive comments concerning my career. No more witnessing my children receive lesser, cheaper gifts than their cousins.
I didn’t feel like I needed to be grateful for scraps of attention. Simply delicious food, genuine laughter, and people who valued what I had worked so hard to create. I made a resolution while standing on the resort’s deck on New Year’s Eve, watching fireworks over the water with my children by my side.
I was finished apologizing for my accomplishment. I’d had enough of shrinking myself to make others feel comfortable. I had had enough of receiving crumbs from those who should have been celebrating my accomplishments.
The resort demonstrated that I was not the family failure that they had made me feel for so many years. I was a successful businesswoman who created something beautiful out of nothing. My children were proud of me.
My true friends backed me, and my family members who mattered had seen what I was capable of. Mother
