Mila pretended to be clueless. “Mom, what do you mean? What’s there to negotiate? I’ve already agreed to let Janet stay here.”
Her response didn’t match the question; did I need her permission to live here? I couldn’t be bothered to engage.
“No, that’s not what I meant. I meant, since we only have Brian, and Lily is a girl, can we not use your family name for the second child?”
She finally said it. I felt relieved for her but also sensed that this was about to get interesting. I cleaned the kitchen quietly while eavesdropping on their conversation.
Mila finally turned her gaze from the TV to my mom, who was standing there with a smile and a fruit platter.
“Mom, what are you joking about? We agreed on this before; how can it change now? You don’t need to emphasize having only one son; I’m also the only daughter of my family!”