When Leslie returned, she changed the subject and refused to mention what had happened earlier. She announced that she had to run some errands and pick her daughter up from the car shop where she was dropping her car off to get the brakes fixed. It was a relief when she left. During that time, Mary and I reminisced and laughed. It felt good.
I thought back on many of family gatherings. There had been so much laughter. I enjoyed it when I was a child because it was fun and left fond memories. As I got older, I saw the tension between each member, but we still laughed and joked. Even Mom joined in. Granted, compared to my immediate family now, we were relatively calm. To others, we were wild. That showed me how bland many families were.