Part 1Ten Crabs, Four Plates: How My Sexist Grandmother Finally Got Evicted

There were five people in our family. Dad bought 10 crabs. But when they were steamed and served on the table, only 4 were left.

Grandma naturally dropped one into her own bowl, leaving mine completely empty like a sick joke.

Before I could even pout or feel wronged, Mom, who had just gotten off work late, marched up and snatched the crab right out of Grandma's bowl with her fork and handed it to me.

She glared at her and said, "At your age, do you really deserve the best meat? Here's a leg, suck on it yourself."

* * *

I look exactly like my mom, but my personality is as soft as my maternal grandpa's.

Whenever I came home crying after being bullied, Mom would sigh, wondering how I managed to skip a generation and inherit Grandpa's temperament.

"Chloe, don't be scared. Mom will teach you. If a boy bullies you, kick him where it hurts. If a girl bullies you, punch her in the chest. Works every time."

She would crouch in front of me, patiently teaching me how to retaliate swiftly and ruthlessly.

Sitting nearby, my dad, Mark, would shift uncomfortably, crossing his legs tight, and soon make an excuse about needing a smoke to escape to the porch.

I would stare at my mom in innocent confusion, not quite understanding how she could use such a beautiful face to drop eight F-bombs in a single sentence.

It wasn't until I saw her and my maternal grandmother getting drunk and trading dirty jokes that I learned what the phrase "runs in the family" truly meant.

Mom was at her wits' end with my absolute inability to toughen up. She would sigh and tell Dad that one day she’d have to find me a six-foot-four lumberjack to protect me.

Fortunately, my younger brother, Leo, stepped up to fill that role early. At barely eight years old, he was already unusually tall, clearly destined to be a big, tough guy.

But Leo was energetic and mischievous. Mom and Dad worked and traveled a lot, so they didn't always have time to watch him, and with my soft personality, Leo wasn't exactly intimidated by me.

That's when Dad's mother—my paternal grandmother—chimed in. She said she had plenty of free time to help raise the kids and actively volunteered to move in.

My parents thought it would be a great opportunity for us to bond with her, so they didn't refuse.

So, the year Leo was seven and a half and I was twelve, Grandma officially moved in with us.

Leo and I didn't have many memories of her. Aside from visiting her for a few days during the holidays, we hardly ever saw her.

But Dad had told us many stories about her life, explaining how hard things were for her when she was young, and reminding us to always love our grandmother.

So, I was genuinely looking forward to her arrival.

But I was sorely disappointed...

"What is this? Why is there such a huge difference between Chloe's room and Leo's?"

She hadn't even put her suitcases down before she toured the whole house, hands behind her back. She pointed at my bedroom and asked Dad:

"Why does a girl need a room this big? Look at poor Leo, stuck in that little space..."

Saying that, she crouched down and asked my brother, who was bouncing a soccer ball, if he wanted to trade rooms with his sister.

Leo didn't say a word. He just rolled his eyes at her, grabbed my hand, and pulled me toward the front door.

"I'm meeting my friends for soccer. Dad, you entertain Grandma yourself!"

His attitude made Grandma furious.

Even from down the street, we could hear her screaming inside the house about how my mother had raised a disrespectful brat.

"Listen to me, you need to toughen up. Just ignore Grandma, you hear?"

At the convenience store, Leo bought a Popsicle, broke it in half, and handed me a piece. "At her age, she's still playing that sexist 'boys are better than girls' garbage. Totally delusional."

I held the Popsicle, taking a bite, not really knowing how to respond. After a long pause, I just squeezed out, "She's our grandma. Surely she won't be that bad."

"Whatever. I'm just going to have to keep a closer eye on you, otherwise she'll sell you out and you'll be happily asking if she got a good price."

Leo sighed helplessly. Standing almost as tall as me, he reached out and pinched my nose. "You're such a pushover."

"Ugh, stop! Show some respect, I'm your older brother, don't pinch my nose!"

I chased him playfully in the sunlight, angry but laughing, while he dodged me with a grin.

I thought the room-swapping comment was just a minor hiccup. I never expected it to be just the beginning.