“Jenna, will you pass me the gravy?” my sister Gretta asked with a sickly sweet voice. I nodded and passed her the fancy boat that was filled with the steaming liquid. By the time she had passed it back my eleven other sisters had already called out for me to pass them something. I stifled the groan rising from me and tended to their needs as my mother and father did their best to make time for each of the girls.

           When my father reached me he began babbling about becoming mayor in his place. I stared at his bald spot blankly with my arms crossed and a frown of boredom on my face. He said something about paper flying over his head and the stars in his eyes was nothing new as he tried to get me enthusiastic about following my heritage. Ugh why couldn’t I have a big brother? Sure it would mean one extra sibling and that would make fourteen of us, but at least it would mean I wouldn’t have to be stupid mayor.

         Ok I wasn’t always like this, but as the oldest sibling and no boys in the house I was being forced to succeed my father. When I was younger I had frolicked knowing I would one day be mayor of my city, and that I would have the power to kick out that dumb city council that had dared to call my father a boob, oh yes he would pay if I was mayor or not, anyways, but when I was little my fantasies had been more comical like hitting them all over the head with a rolling pin, or banging a broom on their heads as they ran by getting chased by a steamroller, now they were more realistic, things I could actually do.

         “Jenna, are you listening?” my mother’s gentle voice jerked both my father and I out of our fantasies. I glanced at her, not answering. She groaned which sounded out of character for her “Gary, I’m scared she might be mute. I don’t think she is going to talk, or make a sound at all!” she exclaimed. My father turned to peer closely at me, but I was already leaving the dining room with my expression turned on blank. The door swung shut behind me and I made myself keep walking until I got to my room.

         I collapsed onto my bed feeling like this was all hopeless, when I was little I had been taught that children should be seen and not heard, but now I was expected to scream at my sisters at the dinner table, and fight over whose seat was whose, and throw spaghetti at the waiter when we went out. I wasn’t about to do that and embarrass my entire family like my sisters, so I remained silent and made no effort to express my thoughts to anyone but myself.

       After a few minutes by myself, my father opened the door a crack to peek in as if to make sure I wasn’t asleep. I turned to meet his gaze and he knocked lightly. I simply sat up on the edge of my bed to signify he could come in.

        Used to my silence and ways to signal things, my father came in quietly. He gestured to the bed and I nodded slightly. He sat down beside me causing the bed to creek under his weight. It had been a while since we had sat like this. Only us; no one screaming for him to come and get them a glass of water, or crying about not getting tucked in, just silence.

           “Jenna, I can’t say I understand what you’re feeling right now, but what I can say is that I know you will be a great mayor.”

         Can’t the old man just give it a rest?!

        “When I’m gone your people are going to rely on you to take care of them, and I know you won’t let the city council boss you around.”

          What, like you do?

           “I hope my picture can be on the hallway outside your room, and I really hope that you are able to get your picture up there, too.”

            Here we go with the greats, again.

           “Your ancestors are all up there! And they are all one of the greats.”

            Yes I know this; you’ve talked about it for I don’t know, all the time?!  

              “Anyways, you know that, I just wanted to tell you that you can be whatever type of mayor you want to be, and I mean that.”

        Wait what did he just say?! Did he skip the great lecture?! Oh great lord of cheese he did!!!!!

           I felt my jaw drop, and quickly I shut it before he could see. He had stood up from my bed and the springs jumped back into place, flinging me off and pushing me into him. He turned slightly and looked down at me. Finally, he ruffled my hair and walked out, closing the door behind him.

           I let out the sigh that had been building up in me, and I got into my pajamas. I crawled into my bed feeling weak with exhaustion and plopped my head into the big fluffy pillows.

        It was only until I had got comfortable that my stomach growled loudly, and I remembered I hadn’t come back to finish my dinner.