"An abandoned mother here. A missing uncle there. A disappearing father two generations back. A friendship broken by fear or mistrust or addiction. Genes that make you vulnerable to certain problems. Two children who weren't loved right meeting up when they're not really adults yet and having two more children who aren't loved right.
It adds up. It all adds up."
Gem, narrator of Sara Zarr's Gem & Dixie, has studied her family's history. She and little sister, Dixie, are the "two more children who aren't loved right". Even though her family hasn't been reported to children's protective services her home life is most definitely dysfunctional and dangerous. Both parents are substance abusers. Her father has taken off. Her mother is incapable of taking care of herself, let alone two young daughters. Gem has cared for and protected Dixie.
Unexpectedly--totally out of the blue--their father decides to re-enter their lives, painting himself as a devoted parent and a responsible adult. Dixie, who has been shielded from the worst of the family dynamics, takes him at his word. When he goes on a $400 grocery shopping spree she believes happy days have arrived. Gem can't buy in.
"Our dad buying us food shouldn't have been a special treat, it shouldn't have felt like Christmas or a trip to Disneyland; we should have had it all along. There should have been child support, there should have been someone making sure we had what we needed for school. There should have been regular bedtimes and no one working nights, leaving us home all alone."
When the girls' mother gets home she threatens to call the cops if he doesn't leave right away, preventing him from retrieving the mystery backpack he stashed under Gem's bed...
...a backpack that contains about $27,000 (probably gained illicitly), a sum that would allow the sisters to escape their dysfunctional household and start a new life. There's only one problem...
...Dixie, believing that their family good times have finally begun, does not want to escape.
On a purrrsonal note, I had a bit of a scare yesterday. A neighbor told me that the (annual trailer coop) barbecue will be August 9. I thought OMG!!! I have only three weeks to get the backpacks ready. Since 2020 I've been running a backpack 🎒 project that provides backpacks full of school supplies for the kids in my trailer coop. I called Amber and my church for help. Then I looked over my supplies in my shed and the money people have given to buy more. Looks like the sixth year is going to be epic.
A great big shout out goes out to everyone who is helping me and the fine folx who are coordinating the barbecue.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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